About Rail SOS
A Better Solution for Rail
Because
we do not have the funding to build rail to Ala Moana Center, many are suggesting
the need for a shorter route that can provide a useful system,
including our mayor, some HART board members, City Councilmembers, other politicians,
and various media voices.
The situation is a blessing in disguise,
allowing time to update projections on operating costs, climate change impacts,
ridership, and more. It puts new focus
on how far the tracks should extend and how to best continue travel service
from an alternative terminus, none of which have yet been properly studied.
Five different endpoints are being considered: Aloha Tower, Chinatown, Kalihi, Middle
Street and Lagoon Drive.
TRANSFER STATIONS
Middle and
Lagoon are ideal transfer terminals, in good position to work together sharing
the passenger load. Travelers step off
the train at the multimodal station, ride escalators to transfer platforms,
board express vehicles, then sit down for direct rides to their destinations. Express routes along North King Street, Dillingham and
Nimitz can take full advantage of our existing roads, which can be improved to
enhance traffic flow, including some dedicated lanes and synchronized traffic
signals. These routes can provide direct service to various destinations including
Downtown, UH Manoa, Ala Moana and Waikiki.
This
is not a proposal to “stop rail” or advocate for automobiles. It is a plan to increase
the ridership and effectiveness of mass transit. Our
major rush-hour traffic problem is along H-1, not on streets in the urban center,
which have sufficient capacity to handle express buses. Much to its credit, the
rail can offer some relief by giving H-1 drivers an alternative way to reach
the edge of town, then transfer to express buses and similar vehicles.
The multimodal
alternative fulfills the project’s original goals at a far lower construction
cost without requiring further tax increases, and
it could begin within two years. It also has the flexibility to incorporate new transportation technologies and routes, including
electric autonomous vehicles of various sizes
and routes that can be modified to meet demand.
FUTURE EXPANSION
If rail usage is high and funding can be secured,
future extension of elevated rail is always an option, but expansion beyond
Middle is not necessary or desirable at this time and faces enormous problems
of funding, construction, and aesthetics which would only add further delays.
Our downtown would be marred by an elevated structure blocking views of the
waterfront and Aloha Tower and does not have a good location for a bus transfer
station. Chinatown has similar issues, and extension to Kalihi, near the
prison, is likewise unneeded. Infrastructure challenges along Dillingham have
made these options extremely difficult. Fortunately, no contracts have been
issued for construction beyond Middle Street, so no work need be done there
unless the studies warrant it.
COMMON GOALS
Nearly everyone wants to see rail
completed with the least expense to gain maximum benefit from our $12.4 billion
investment. Our goal should be
creating the best multimodal transportation system with the largest total
ridership, rather than focusing solely on rail. There is an urgent
need to analyze the options now to get the system up and running as soon as
possible within the existing budget to provide relief for Leeward travelers.
The Federal Transit
Administration is waiting for our Updated Financial Plan at the end of this year
and by all accounts is fed up and deeply embarrassed by our prolonged problems.
In 2016 the FTA said we could “reduce the scope of the Project… perhaps (with)
an interim terminus.” They will surely show support by issuing remaining funds
when a reasonable plan is presented.