The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation is looking in the coming days and weeks to finish repairs to cracks in a score of rail support columns, resolve a wheels-to-rail equipment mix-up, and restart delayed safety tests to train cars that will run along the nearly $10 billion rail line.
Lori Kahikina, the transit agency’s executive director and CEO, told the HART board of directors Friday that the delay in trial runs of the Hitachi Rail trains will end only after a “communications software issue” is fixed.
According to HART staff, Hitachi hopes to have those glitches completed this month to allow a return to train testing on the initial stretch from East Kapolei to Aloha Stadium.
“We’re about 70% to 75% done with 144 (test) scenarios that need to be done,” Kahikina said. “The holdup was the communications … (but) we’re going to start the remaining scenarios on Tuesday, and hopefully we will get those remaining scenarios done.”
After that, she said, the next step for the train cars would be a system demonstration.
“Hitachi is hoping to get that done in 30 days; we think it’s more like 45 to 60 days,” Kahikina said. “So hopefully, that trial running can be done by the end of April.”
Kahikina also updated the HART board on repairs to hairline cracks on the T- shaped supports — known as hammerheads — built atop rail columns to support future rail stations on the 19.75-mile line. In late 2018, cracks were first discovered in the concrete forms of 21 hammerhead supports.
“In June of 2022 the cracks were observed to have grown in length and width,” Kahikina said, adding that HART along with city, federal and third-party structural engineers were brought in to consult on the matter. “Everyone went up to do measurements. We are having continued weekly meetings to come up with a strategy on how to address it.”
Currently, she said, structural flaws on all 21 hammerheads are being resolved via the use of epoxy coatings to help keep out moisture and reduce further cracking.
“They are being epoxy- coated as we speak. We started that right before the holidays,” Kahikina told the board. “We did a test run on one of them, and everyone went up there to observe it. And every one is OK, and so we are moving forward with the rest of them.”
Eight hammerheads “need a little bit more rebar to add strength and add the serviceability — the length of life of the asset,” she said.
Kahikina added that more construction material, including rebar, has been ordered to complete the work.
“And the construction should start by the end of February, maybe early March,” she said. “And that is also slated to be done by the end of April.”
Meanwhile, Kahikina said the problem involving train car wheel rims, which were found to be too narrow and did not fit the rail they were supposed to run on, has been addressed for the short term. In December 2021, Kahikina noted, HART had obtained proposals from welding contractors.
“And we awarded that contract in January (2022), and the work has been done,” she said, adding that trains have been running on the new welds over the past few months. “They’ve done analysis, they’ve done measurements and there’s no deterioration of the welds.”
However, Kahikina said the long-term fix — to be done by Hitachi — is to fully replace all of the wheels on the system’s trains.
“The weld is just temporary,” she said, adding the first set of wheels has arrived. “And they have been installed, and Hitachi is doing an analysis to make sure it is working well.”
According to HART officials, the rail line is expected to open the first segment of its 19-station route by mid-2023.
