honoluluadvertiser.com

Sponsored by:

Comment, blog & share photos

Log in | Become a member
The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Sunday, September 13, 2009

Kamehameha Schools proposes cheaper Honolulu rail plan


By Sean Hao
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Phoenix's light rail system, above, runs at ground level over 20 miles and also serves the nearby cities of Mesa and Tempe. Operation began last December.

spacer spacer

Honolulu could save an estimated $1.7 billion by building about half of its planned elevated commuter train at ground level, according to a study commissioned by Kamehameha Schools.

Kamehameha Schools is Hawai'i's largest private landowner. Its holdings include the sites where at least four of proposed train stations would be located, making it keenly interested in the project.

Kamehameha Schools hired Phil Craig, a New Jersey railway system designer and transportation consultant since 1955, to study Honolulu's proposed system.

Craig's study concludes that a partially ground-level train could cost less and create fewer aesthetic issues than an entirely elevated train.

The city eliminated the ground-level transit option long ago on concerns that it would interfere with road traffic, operate at slower speeds, generate lower ridership and require the acquisition of more right of way.

Craig said new light rail technologies along with an alternative route could overcome those concerns.

Craig's study proposes building the train system at ground level from East Kapolei to Waipahu and from Middle Street to Ala Moana Center. Only the segment from Waipahu to Middle Street, or about 10 out of a total 20 miles, would be built on an elevated guideway.

COST IS AN ISSUE

A train with half the guideway at ground level coupled with cheaper bus-stop-style stations would cost $3.6 billion, which is about $1.7 billion less than the project's current $5.3 billion price tag, according to Craig.

"There would have to be more detailed engineering done to determine what the precise cost would be," Craig said. However, "there are significant savings that ought to be achieved. Those monies, for instance, could be spent to extend the line into West Kapolei or to UH-Manoa or into Waikiki."

A reduction in the cost of the rail project could also help the city deal with the recent drop in tax collections needed to pay the city's $4 billion share of the project.

Craig also suggested a different schedule for rail construction. He proposed the first phase of the system should link Middle Street to Downtown and could be ready to open in June 2017.

The city's planned first phase links East Kapolei to Waipahu and would open for full operations by 2019.

A call to city spokesman Bill Brennan for comment on the Kamehameha Schools study Friday afternoon wasn't immediately returned.

Kamehameha spokeswoman Ann Botticelli also didn't return messages for this story. However, last month Botticelli said Kamehameha Schools shared information with the city indicating there may be substantial construction savings with a light-rail system built partially at ground level.

Kamehameha, in documents recently filed with the state, has expressed concerns about the size of the elevated train stations, which will be 50 feet wide by up to 300 feet long. The 21 planned stations also will be three stories high or higher.

ROUTE SHIFT SOUGHT

Kamehameha Schools also has asked the city to move a planned station from its property at the intersection of Halekauwila and South streets to Mother Waldron Park, which is about 300 yards diamondhead.

In addition, federal officials are asking the city to shift the route of the planned train away from the Prince Kuhio Federal Building because of security concerns. U.S. District Judge Helen Gillmor and U.S. District Marshal Mark Hanohano this year expressed concerns that the proposed route down Halekauwila Street exposes the nearby courthouse to a potential terrorist bombing or attack by an individual holding a grudge against a particular judge.

However, a threat and vulnerability assessment conducted by the city called an attack on the Prince Kuhio Federal Building from Honolulu's planned elevated commuter train "most improbable."

The route proposed in the Kamehameha Schools study would be substantially the same as the city's planned route, until the train reaches urban Honolulu. The current route, which was created by ordinance, travels the periphery of Downtown by running along Nimitz Highway to Halekauwila Street, then Kapi'olani Boulevard. The study proposes several alternatives including a diamondhead route that would enter Downtown via North King Street to Hotel Street, then makai on Richards Street to South King Street or Queen Street.

Heading 'ewa, the ground-level train would travel from Kapi'olani Boulevard to South Street, then South Beretania Street to Richards Street, then reconnect at Hotel Street.

The slightly longer route would be slower than the current Nimitz route. However, the alternative route could shorten the commute of many riders by placing them closer to their destination, Craig said.

Modern train technology could allow at-grade trains to accommodate the estimated 95,310 daily riders without undue interference with road traffic, Craig said.

"The significant advantage in technology in this decade has been the development of electrical distribution systems that do not require overhead trolley wires," he said. "That allows you then to put the tracks along the curb without having the impact on the trees, and in turn you have the loading platforms just like buses load today.

"There's several (train) manufacturers, including Bombardier, Alstom (and) Siemens, that have this technology," Craig added.

City Councilman Charles Djou said the city has not provided council members with a copy of the Kamehameha Schools study.

"I very much want to see it," he said. "I think anything that's going to make this system work and save taxpayers money is worth the city's attention. This is the kind of stuff the Honolulu City Council should be holding hearings on."

• • •