Honolulu officials knew year ago that rail route too close to airport
HONOLULU � City officials were warned as early as January 2009 of the need to formally notify the Federal Aviation Administration that a planned commuter rail line could run too close to the Honolulu International Airport. Construction of the $5.3 billion rail system was supposed to begin last December but is being delayed in part because the route may be too close to an airport runway and might endanger the operation of aircraft. 
Only one company bid to manage Hawaii rail project
A $36.7 million contract for Honolulu's planned train project failed to garner any competition. Under the five-year deal, Scottsdale, Ariz.-based InfraConsult LLC will provide project management oversight on the $5.3 billion project � a role the company has played since March 2007.
Hawaii rail project may not create as many jobs as city predicts
Thousands of people will get jobs working on Honolulu's planned $5.3 billion rail project if construction proceeds as planned. However, how many jobs will be created by the state's largest public works project and when they'll be created remain guesswork.
Lingle rejects poll favoring rail EIS
Gov. Linda Lingle yesterday dismissed the findings of a People's Pulse survey indicating that more than two-thirds of residents oppose conducting another rail-transit study, calling the question used in the survey "poorly worded and misleading" and questioning the credibility of the survey's sponsors.
67% back results of Isle rail study
More than two-thirds of people surveyed support making a decision on whether to build rail based on an existing environmental study, according to a poll released yesterday.
City's sights on Kapolei
The city would get 34 acres of prime land in Kapolei in exchange for building a key, milelong section of Kapolei Parkway that has been the responsibility of Kapolei Property Development.
Lingle, transportation secretary discuss rail plans
Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle, in Washington for the National Governors Association's annual winter meeting, told Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood that her administration plans to conduct a separate financial analysis of Honolulu's plans for a rail system.
Proposed Honolulu rail hubs haven't drawn investor interest
Investors appear to be in no rush to buy up land around Honolulu's planned $5.3 billion train. The city expects the train and its projected 97,000 average weekday riders to spur billions of dollars of investment as 21 stations from East Kapolei to Ala Moana become hubs for housing, business and employment. That in turn could spur land values and real estate development.
Honolulu rail-transit schedule slips again
Hope that recent delays in the timeline of the city's proposed rail project would quickly be resolved are giving way to the realization that construction probably won't begin anytime soon.
Transit tax down 14% in Jan.
Tax collections to pay for Honolulu's planned $5.3 billion rail transit system fell
14 percent in January to $11 million, based on figures released by the state Department of Taxation.
Cheaper gas, fewer jobs reduce Hawaii's public transit ridership
Rising unemployment and gasoline prices below $4 a gallon are taking a toll on public transit ridership in Honolulu and nationally. From July to September, bus and heavy-rail ridership nationwide fell nearly 8 percent and 4 percent respectively, according to the American Public Transit Association. In Honolulu, the number of riders on TheBus was down about 2 percent since July, according to the agency that operates the system.
Honolulu rail plan gets $55M in Federal Transit Authority budget
The Federal Transit Administration gave Honolulu a $55 million vote of confidence yesterday in the city's planned commuter rail line from East Kapolei to Ala Moana. The support helps build momentum for the rail project just days after Gov. Linda Lingle raised concerns about whether the city could afford the estimated $5.35 billion price tag.
Mayor cites cost of rail delay
Delaying Honolulu's planned elevated commuter rail project could cost the city an additional $200 million a year, Mayor Mufi Hannemann said yesterday.
Funding rail won't hurt buses
Mayor Mufi Hannemann told federal transportation officials in Washington, D.C., this week that the city's planned commuter rail project will not compromise bus service in Honolulu.
City pushes to keep its elevated-rail plan
A day before a group of architects is supposed to push for alternatives to Honolulu's fully elevated rail plan, the city brought together its own transportation experts to counter that push, arguing an elevated line should move ahead as planned.
Hawaii will probably hold public hearings on Honolulu rail transit
Supporters, opponents and others with something to say about Honolulu's plan to build a $5.5 billion elevated rail will have a new forum to voice their opinions soon. The state is expected to hold public hearings on the environmental impacts of Honolulu's planned rail project.
Federal approval keeps rail on track
Honolulu's proposed $5.5 billion elevated commuter train project won a key endorsement from the federal government yesterday. The Federal Transit Administration gave the city approval to begin the preliminary engineering phase of the project.
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