Future University of Hawai'i-West O'ahu students will have to walk about a quarter-mile to get to campus from the nearest rail station.

That's about 1,000 feet farther than previously planned, according to testimony by city officials yesterday.

The rail station, one of 19 to be built as part of the city's proposed mass-transit system, was to be on the North-South Road close to the new UH-West O'ahu campus.

Now the station will be closer to the planned Ho'opili residential and commercial development with its 10,000 to 15,000 homes, plus schools and parks. The change means there will be two transit stations at Ho'opili.

The decision to move the UH-West O'ahu station was made for practical and engineering reasons, said Toru Hamayasu, chief of the city's transportation planning division. The new location makes more sense because it will straddle a major boulevard within Ho'opili, Hamayasu said.

"It's always a good idea to align a main boulevard with a transit alignment," Hamayasu told City Council members during a committee hearing yesterday.

In addition, the station could not, from an engineering standpoint, be placed at UH-West O'ahu's preferred location and still blend into Ho'opili. The new station location "isn't right next to (UH), but it's not that much farther than it would have been," Hamayasu said.

Ho'opili developer D.R. Horton Inc. plans to begin construction in 2010, with the first homes and businesses opening in 2012.

MOVE RAISES CONCERN

Hamayasu said the change in the location of the UH station was not significantly different from the prior location. However, several council members expressed concern about a lack of public awareness and discussion relating to changes in transit station locations.

"It's easy for you to say it's not substantive, but if you look at the map it's a great departure," said Councilman Romy Cachola. "I'm just letting you know if somebody challenges that, it will delay the project."

Mayor Mufi Hannemann hopes to begin construction on the $3.7 billion elevated, commuter train late next year. The rail will eventually run from East Kapolei to Ala Moana. The plan is to start in East Kapolei because the area, which now is composed mainly of dirt fields, will require little displacement of existing homes or businesses.

EXACT LOCATION NEEDED

Pinpointing the location of the train stations is a key component of the so-called transit-oriented development process. The idea is for rail stations to become hubs for housing, business and employment. The lifeblood of these communities will be a mass-transit system capable of moving up to 9,000 passengers an hour in each direction.

"We're beginning the process of looking at transit-oriented development where density may change, easements may change, parking requirements may change, so it's important to know the exact location of the stations," said Councilman Donovan Dela Cruz.

Dela Cruz and Councilwoman Ann Kobayashi both have pushed for more transparency about the location of planned stations.

The new UH campus is scheduled to open in fall 2009 or spring 2010.

Gene Awakuni, chancellor of UH-West O'ahu, was unavailable for comment yesterday.

The council's Committee on Planning and Sustainability is expected to continue the discussion about transit stations at a future date.