b'PASSENGER TRANSPORTHNL25for tourists in a state where tourism iscan call for assistance from the train and incredibly important. They are also criticalat the stations via emergency telephones. for HNLs workforce and anyone evenMore than 2,100 cameras transmit video tangentially associated with transport ininformation to the control center, which Hawaii.enables staff to respond quickly in an Weve talked about the airportemergency.connection being important for visitors,All trains are air-conditioned and include but we should not forget the 15,000Wi-Fi, an attractive feature for commuters. airport workers who rely on the train toRiders can bring large items like bicycles, get to work, Morton says. If you drive tosurfboards, baby strollers and luggage, the airport, you have to park and then waitand the cars have dedicated spaces for the shuttle. The train makes it so muchfor wheelchairs and are fully compliant better now. with the Americans with Disabilities Oahu has limited space forAct. These features serve tourists and infrastructure expansion, as theresidents alike, every day of the week. roadways are fixed between the oceanIn addition to the train, the Department and mountains. In the event of a majorof Transportation Services for the city traffic event, there is no place for driversand county of Honolulu added buses to go; they are just stuck. From thatin congested mixed-flow traffic to serve viewpoint, HART and the Department ofrapidly developing areas. Transportation Services see Skyline as aThe first segment of Skyline opened solution that was long overdue.on June 30, 2023, transporting residents Oahus corridor is about 40 miles longand visitors from East Kapolei to Aloha and three miles wide, Morton explains.Stadium, covering 10.75 miles with nine The interior of the island is forest andstops. In October 2025, Segment 2 watershed, unsuitable for development,officially started bringing riders to the HNL More Efficient Option while the amount of developed land isstation, adding 5.2 miles and four stations While HART is the public transitvery limited. As a result, we have somealong the way. Segment 3 will go further authority responsible for planning andof the highest population densities alongeast to central and downtown Honolulu. constructing Skyline, the city Departmentthat primary urban corridor, which causesIts currently under construction and of Transportation Services manages itsterrible traffic. A high-speed rail helps usscheduled to begin service in 2031. When operation and maintenance. Roger Morton,solve our traffic problem.that occurs, the system will span nearly Department of Transportation Services19 miles with 19 stations in all. Huy Huynh, HART core systems director for the city and county, was taskeddirector andSkylines elevated guideway is about with helping HART manage the systemprincipal for systems30 feet wide to accommodate two sets side of the project.consultant Lea+Elliott,of tracks and was constructed in precast Mortons department also focuses onremembers speakingconcrete segments. The guideway is 40- and 60-foot buses that serve visitorswith Hawaii residentssupported by cast-in-place concrete and employees at the airport, and the busmany years agopiers on drilled shafts that vary in depth, system will now connect the new rail endwho would risestarting at 30 feet. One shaft is 357 feet, points to popular destinations. With thebefore dawn to beatHUY HUYNH which is considered the deepest cast-in-debut of the train system a few years ago,traffic into the city.place shaft in the world, according to the the Department of Transportation ServicesSometimes they would arrive at workAmerican Society of Civil Engineers. and HART have established a pathwayand go back to sleep in their car. Now,When traveling east, the train stop to improvement with future segments. Itthey can take a time-conserving train,for HNL is the stop just after the station also expands local public transportationcomplete with Wi-Fi service. at Pearl Harbor, making an efficient line from the perspective of security (busesbetween the two popular destinations. were scrutinized as potential targets afterTransit UpgradePearl Harbor, a military base where 9/11) and sheer people-moving volume.The trains are powered by electricity via2,400 Americans lost their lives in an Kahikina notes that one Skyline train cana third rail that supplies the current, andaerial assault during World War II, is a fit approximately 800 passengers, which isare fully driverless. Train manufacturermajor tourist site. In addition, Joint Base the equivalent of about 10 city buses.Hitachi says the benefit of an automatedPearl Harbor-Hickam supports both Air Recent improvements to the trainsystem like this is safety, as the elementForce and Navy missions, hosting about system are designed to work in concertof human error is removed from the100,000 people. The Pearl Harbor area with the bus system to make a differenceequation. If there is an issue, passengersalone represents roughly 10% of Oahus AirportImprovement.comMarch | April 2026'