If it wasn’t all so serious, with billions of taxpayer dollars on the line, the problems plaguing Oahu’s under-construction rail would be laughable.
On construction alone, physical “issues” continue emerging: The latest came this week, over a malfunctioning railcar door. As reported by the Star-Advertiser’s Dan Nakaso, daily test runs of the train cars have been halted for at least one week after a door was found open with the railcar running. The automated trains are not supposed to be able to run while a door is open, for obvious safety reasons.
The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation was hoping to receive an explanation from rail operator Hitachi Rail this week or next.
Clearly, a speedy public accounting of what happened, and how, is crucial — plus remedies to prevent a reoccurrence, particularly once the rail starts carrying passengers on its fleet of automated trains. Oahu’s rail will be driverless, so its high-tech computerized system will be critical to the system’s safe and smooth runnings.
To be sure, the current rigorous test-run phase for the rail’s built half is precisely to detect operational issues, troubleshoot and fix them for safety, well before paying riders come aboard. Still, this month’s open-door issue is a reminder of previous construction defects, eroding confidence in this once-promising transit project, including:
>> In March, it was revealed that the railcars were running on wheels that were too narrow for track “frogs” at 12 junctions where the tracks cross one another. HART and Hitachi have yet to figure out whether it’s better to swap out the 32 wheels of each train or replace the frogs, plus related cost implications.
>> In 2016, cracks were found in thousands of “shims,” plastic paddings along the first 10 miles of the elevated track; contractor Kiewit Infrastructure West covered that repair cost.
Even supporters of the rail — who see its potential to move people across Oahu, ease traffic and incentivize affordable housing — have been discouraged, as this 20-mile project has ballooned from an estimated $5.3 billion to the current $12.5 billion.
It’s hoped that HART’s contracts are written well enough to not have taxpayers bear undue costs of contractor faults and fixes. Further, remedies to rail’s construction defects must be fully vetted and explained, to assure the public of the system’s safety.
