Getting rail to Middle Street would be best use of funds
The debate over whether to complete Oahu rail to Ala Moana Center or stop at Middle Street needn’t be either/or.
The most rational course is to devote all existing funds to getting the train to Middle Street as soon as possible, using express buses to carry commuters to their final destinations.
Then, if public support and more funding materialize, a second phase of eastward construction can begin.
The reality is the city doesn’t have enough money to complete the full line; the half-percent rail excise tax and $1.5 billion federal share will raise $6.8 billion at most, while the Federal Transit Administration now projects it’ll cost up to $8.1 billion to reach Ala Moana.
The FTA also projects it’ll take two years longer than the city estimates, until 2024, to begin service to Ala Moana and says it’ll be flexible if the city changes course.
What better way for the city to regain trust than show it can competently build and operate a useful segment to Middle Street?
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Holding out for Ala Moana or bust means another year or more of floundering while waiting to see if the extremely reluctant Legislature and City Council provide more funding.
Better to focus existing funds on getting to Middle Street and treat additional funding for building further as a separate issue that doesn’t distract from starting service to Middle Street in this decade.
This means committing no further rail funds beyond Middle Street until uncertainties are sorted out.
If existing money is spread out to include city center construction and new funding fails, we likely won’t even finish to Middle Street and will have nothing to show for nearly $7 billion spent.
The public is weary of such drama as rail costs have grown in a little over a year from $5.2 billion and promises of “on time and on budget” to nearly $3 billion over budget and five years behind the original schedule.
Facing reality and focusing on Middle Street for now would allow the city to map rail’s future without the pressure of immediately dealing with major utility relocations, business disruptions and other thorny challenges of building in the city center.
Future options could include finishing as planned to Ala Moana, switching to an alternate route to the University of Hawaii favored by many, or standing pat with the Middle Street rail terminus and buses if it’s well-accepted.
City officials worry stopping at Middle Street would sap ridership, but most municipal commuter systems combine rail and bus.
It works fine as an escape from gridlocked traffic when train and bus schedules are tightly coordinated, and express service and rush-hour contraflows are smartly deployed.
Those commuting to UH, Waikiki or other points east of Ala Moana would have to switch to buses either way.
Reach David Shapiro at volcanicash@gmail.com or blog.volcanicash.net.
67 responses to “Getting rail to Middle Street would be best use of funds”
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I totally agree,David !!! But, nobody listens to us!!
Ditto.
I completely disagree. rail should go all the way. the section between middle street and downtown is the most important
Not a problem. City will just raise your property taxes by 10% per year for years to cover the cost of the 8 rail stations and miles of track to be maintained.
Stopping rail at middle street will save billions, years of construction, torn up streets, traffic gridlock. Only a fool would support rail going to a shopping center.
Logical from a financial perspective, illogical from a ridership perspective. Bus to rail to bus at Middle Street to get to Waikiki does not encourage ridership. No-one from the Airport would take rail to get to Waikiki. A very poor solution.
Worst BS I’ve ever heard. Who cares about the tourist who might take rail from the Airport to Waikiki? That’s never been the source or concern of the morning traffic jam from the Westside. And what is the ridership number exactly? Everyone is hoping that the other guy will be using rail so that means the only people using rail will be the people who are using public transportation in the first place. And rail right now doesn’t go to Waikiki to begin with, it ends at Ala Moana which requires everyone to use the bus to finish up. Boy, the false stories that Pro-rail advocate spew.
So true. Pro railers are known to be very weak of mind.
Stopping rail at the Middle Street bus station is the only logical solution. Git’r done.
Ridership is the key to transit success, and UH-Manoa and Waikiki (as well as West Kapolei) must be reached to make rail transit effective. The answer is transfer: start with steel wheels but plan conversion to urban magnetic levitation, a technology that is operationally superior and much more cost-effective. It is time for the City Council to “step up to the plate” and regain the (selection) responsibility it abrogated eight years ago when it failed to demand a fair and open competition for the rail technology.
Sorry David this is a weak Idea. The system must go to at least Ward avenue. This provdes service to the downtown area where many jobs are. Just stand on the corner of King and Bishop, or Alakea and Queen, and see how many cars daily “disappear” into building parking lots.
You gotta read his article again. He did not say to stop rail completely.
I would say Ward is a fair compromise but so would Aala Park. We certainly shouldnt be paying skyrocket numbers for people to go shopping at Ala Moana especially when there is now so many shopping opportunities on the westside. UH would be optimal only if they get rid of the rail criminals first.
Totally wrong. Busses will be needed to take people to their final destination. Can’t do this at Ward Ave or Ala Moana.
Middle street bus station is the only logical place to end rail.
…using express buses to carry commuters to their final destinations.
True express buses would totally eliminate the need for rail. At present, what are called express routes still have far too many stops to make ridership a viable commuting option. Even rail’s 21 stations over a relatively short distance are excessive.
Build a parking lot in Kapolei and have buses travel without any additional stops straight to downtown.
“waiting to see if the extremely reluctant Legislature and City Council provide more funding.”
Here’s where we disagree. The State Legislature LOVES “giving” money to rail as they get a 10 percent skim right off the top.
They get plausible deniability with “Well, we hate to do it, but Mayor Kirk Caldwell is PLEADING with us to do and says if we don’t, Oahu will turn into a “Mad Max” style post-apocaplytic hellscape.
Free tax money and no political exposure? The “temporary” rail is NEVER going to go away. It’s just one more broken rail promise.
Yes….with reservations. LOL
Maybe they sholud have taken the 20% cut of the money Horner wanted to offer so the tax could go on forever.
Horny offered 25 percent babe. That’s why he gone now.
Stopping at Middle Street would only waste the funds that have already been spent because it would dramatically decrease ridership, since most people will be taking the train to work downtown. A light rail system from Middle St. to downtown or, worse, a bus service would be counterproductive. At peak travel time trains will leave stations heading toward town every five minutes with a 400 ridership capacity (although they can hold up to 600 if people pack in). A light rail system could not accommodate the number of people arriving at Middle St.
Buses would be worse. 400 rail passengers every five minutes is the equivalent of 10 full city buses leaving every five minutes or 200 buses leaving Middle St. for downtown every hour. Traffic between Middle St. and downtown is already slow enough without adding 200 buses, not to mention that it would take rail riders longer to get downtown from Middle St than it took those who started in Kapolei to get to Middle St. The Middle St. idea is just a desperate attempt by opponents to kill a portion of the project that don’t like and don’t understand.
Everything that you stated can be proven to be true or is it your opinion?
Everything in EVERY comment section on earth is opinion.
Except yours?
If you say so. I certainly didn’t
Funny. So is your post to me an opinion or not?
It’s common sense. You obviously never rode and never intend to ride public transit. Every transfer wastes more time and creates more hassle for the rider.
There would be lots of room on the roads for busses to run for if you are correct on the ridership with 400 passengers every five minutes. There would be, assuming 2 persons per car which is generous, 200 less cars on the street every five minutes.
I agree. We need to stick to the plan to get the ridership that how been projected
Good grief! EVERY rail project have not met their projected readership. None. And you think ours will? You must be dreaming.
Ridership is questionable when cost is not even known. No less rail has no idea how they are going to power the train., be it solar, wind etc. LOL
BB – Not true at all. Total shibai.
Stopping rail at Middle Street is the only logical way to save billions in wasteful construction costs, eliminate 8 rail stations, hundreds of over paid union workers, eliminate tearing up our streets for years to underground power lines and move water mains. It is a Win – Win for everyone.
Fully acceptable to the FTA as it shows the Nei is admitting it can’t manage rail to “On time, On budget” and is taking steps to fix the problem.
Will help to reduce rail’s massive, crushing, monthly O&M cost now estimated to be close to $20 million per month.
Either way our children and grandchildren will be work drones to provide the subsidies to keep rail running.
It will INCREASE O&M costs – Stopping at Middle Street will reduce ridership substantially because most people are trying to get to downtown and having to make another transfer will kill the deal for most of them.
Did you ever use public transit? Do you intend to ride the Rail? I doubt it.
sailfish1 – There you go again. Copy uku or BB’s shibai post, say it is yours. Sad.
You fail to understand eliminating 8 rail stations, their expensive union workers, miles of rail track, will all work to “REDUCE” rail’s crushing monthly O&M costs currently estimated close to $25 million per month. MS will help to bring that number down.
Riders, like the FTA, understand rail was built on a pack of lies. Understand it must stop early to save billions. Gotta do what you gotta do.
BB – There you go again with your shibai rail spin. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Middle Street is the only logical place to end rail. Buses will be waiting to whisk riders to their place of work, bring them back when work is done. Busses can easily handle everyone on rail as your numbers are a complete exaggeration. Not going to happen.
Stopping at MS will save billions, years of torn up streets and traffic gridlock. All to underground power lines, move water and sewer lines, whatever else they find.
FTA fully supports ending rail at Middle Street, agrees it is the best way to get rail “Back on time, close to budget.”
Sad to say rail has been built on a pack of lies from day one.
Let’s extend the rail to UH Manoa! Let’s extend the rail to Ko Olina! Let’s build a rail spur into Waikiki! Let’s build a rail spur to Mililani!
Come clean now. You’re being sarcastic, right?
Let’s extend rail to Maui, heck, why not Molokai? Its just to pay off the already rich developers, architects, engineers, and land owners anyway.
Probably more of a chance of that than getting an inter-islanf ferry service back. This state, in the middle of the ocean, couldn’t even get that right.
Yes, I want the super ferry back!
“Legislature and City Council provide more funding.” No, it’s us, the taxpayers and we are tired of it!
Vote the BUMS out this year!!
But WHAT ABOUT THE (formerly “children”) DEVELOPERS???
Ah, more like $10 billion in the “end”. In addition, no one knows how much the annual cost to maintain the rail will be.
An excellent recommendation by Mr. Shapiro. Looking at a city map, a bus could run from Middle St.to No. School St., Prospect, Wilder, Dole to UHM. There is ample time for an accessment of student and staff at UHM as to rail ridership use from the west & central to UHM. Suggested bus schedule times could be recommended, too, by the prospective riders. Taking into account when UHM is in session. If Middle Street is in a flood zone, how will that be handled? I think that we tax payers expect the city, county, state, & federal to work together for a better economical plan. It would be tragic to go thru Chinatown or further disrupt views with an ugly monster rail to Ala Moana Center.
At this point of the game, I totally agree with you.This mess should not have been created at all and is a total waste of money. The money could have fixed our crumbling infrastructure so broken water mains don’t stop traffic every week or so and sewerage doesn’t get dumped into our ocean whenever it rains. Schools could be repaired, our airport is worse than many third world countries. So much could have been done if it had not been for self serving politicians. They should be ashamed of themselves.
Stopping rail at Middle Street would be the single worst decision in the history of Hawaii public works. It would be like building the H-3 to the tunnel and then stopping.
Anyone who has actually made daily use of a rail transit system to get around in a city that has one would understand this. They are effective to the extent that they connect where people live to where people want to go. If you remove the where people want to go half of the equation you don’t have a transit system, you just have a multi-billion-dollar eyesore.
Pfftt. Apples and oranges.
Either way, we have a $10 billion plus eyesore.
HM – Stopping rail at Middle Street is the only logical way to save billions in wasteful construction costs, eliminate 8 rail stations, hundreds of over paid union workers, eliminate tearing up our streets for years to underground power lines and move water mains. It is a Win – Win for everyone.
Fully acceptable to the FTA as it shows the Nei is admitting it can’t manage rail to “On time, On budget” and is taking steps to fix the problem.
Will help to reduce rail’s massive, crushing, monthly O&M cost now estimated to be close to $20 million per month.
You are right. Most people who argue against what you say never rode and never intend to ride public transit. If Rail stops at Middle Street, ridership would be much less than if it went through downtown and to Ala Moana. This is because riders don’t want another transfer to a bus to get downtown – it just wastes more of their time and creates more hassle.
So, Dillinghan Blvd. is no longer a concern?
A maglev guideway would not only be at least ten feet narrower than the steel wheels guideway but also bring savings in construction materials and labor.
Rail should go all the way to U.H., not stop at Middle Street.
That’s what I’m talking about!
Sure. Just write a blank check to all the rail baboozes then bend over as you are hit with massive property tax increases, years of higher GET taxes.
From day one rail was sold on a pack of lies. Never could be built as the original concept was as no one with any intelligence was involved in the design, cost estimates.
David Shapiro is kind of blind to the need of rail. He should clean his glasses.
You’re full of S- H * I + T. You should clean your head out.
wiliik – You are too naive to understand how the real world works. Understand you attended the Nei’s failing educational system, are years behind others.
We need to fire Grabby as he is directly responsible for this entire rail debacle.
Next we fire Caldwell as he hasn’t got a clue.
OK all you pro-railers, so where is the additional $1.3 billion dollars – based on the *current* estimate – going to come from? And what happens when we need still more $$$? And what could that money be better spent on?
I love it how you talk about let’s carry on with the project but never concern yourself with the cost or where the money is suppose to come from to pay for it nor the impact on the economy and society. Just build, spend and tax. Completely irresponsible. But this is Hawaii and responsibility and accountability are not in your vocabulary. Shame on you!
Caldwell would provide people with bike paths, not buses.
I agree with Dave. If we prevent a Billion dollars from being spent, do you have any idea how much good things you can buy with this kind of money ?
STOP RAIL AT KAM DRIVE-IN LOT ACROSS OF LOCALLY AFFORDABLE PEARLRIDGE SHOPPING CENTER.
I’m like everyone else on the west side. I’m for rail so someone else can ride it and I can drive my car.
Aloha David,
Mahalo for your years of speaking truth and offering common sense solutions.
Shapiro, the Oahu rail is like the Titanic after it hits the iceberg. No matter stopping at Middle St. Aloha Stadium, etc is NOTHING more than rearranging the chairs on Titanic’s deck. The ONLY viable solution is to just completely END the rail project and leave the unfinished columns, except for the dangerous cantilever monstrosity over the H1/H2 interchange. It is a FAILED project that was built on lies from day one. To start even a shortened rail line to Middle Street will require and entirely NEW fossil fuel electric generator to power the rail line. HART has not even admitted this requirement and has not done and EIS, nor budgeted for the construction of this new electric generator plant, maintenance and paying for the electricity to power the train and even a shortened track still will result in an electricity bill around $100 MILLION per year. Looking at the Oahu rail project in totality, the ONLY viable solution for Hawaii resident is to completely shut down the project and take the $ 1-2 BILLION loss. The is the best outcome that can ever be hoped for and worst outcome is even after shortening the rail line, the total cost to taxpayers approaches 10 BILLION and then in the future when the correct elevated light rail train using maglev or sem-maglev technology is to built, it would be way too expensive and difficult to remove the old steel on steel rail line to install the appropriate train Oahu should have had in the first place. Just STOP the project.
This approach will also show if we have any ridership. The city and HART have almost no ridership for rail unless they force our Express buses to transfer to rail. The majority of rail riders will be forced to transfer to rail – read the HART letters to the city council and the Parsons bus plan.
Then any more extensions will die a natural death.
It will FAIL because W Oahu commuters still have to take a feeder bus to the Hoopili rail station, get off at Middle street and then take another feeder bus to the their end destination like UH or Waikiki. All the have to do is take a single City Express! bus that picks them up in Ewa Beach or Kapolei without any connections which means their commute time using an abbreviated train will still DOUBLE their commute time using a single Express! bus. Of course Carlisle and Yoshi planned on cancelling all direct City Express! bus routes and FORCE West Oahu commuters to take the bus/train/bus commuting route. Seems Shapiro and others are not seeing the big picture of this project and how with 100% certainty the project will FAIL. Therefore the only solution is to just stop the project and take the loss.
An article that isn’t about rail at all?
Stop the train now or face BANKRUPTSY !! Make any sense ?? Jus’ tinkin !!