Skyline is now the official name for Honolulu’s rail system which opens its first segment to the public in West Oahu at the end of June.
City officials say they hope the name, Skyline, will be a fresh start for the nearly $10 billion project that has crossed four mayoral administrations, was long overdue and overbudget, and does not, as originally envisioned, run to Ala Moana Shopping Center or the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
And according to the city’s Department of Transportation Services Deputy Director Jon Nouchi, the city’s rail line never had an official name.
“Other than what our Federal Transit Administration partners officially recognized as the ‘Honolulu High- Capacity Transit Corridor Project,’ I think everybody just calls it rail,” Nouchi said, during a news conference at Honolulu Hale Friday morning.
He added finding the name Skyline — a reference, in part, to the expansive view planes riders aboard the city’s elevated train system will see along the West Oahu corridor — was a five-year effort that involved hundreds of possible names for the system and feedback from many focus groups. City officials said the Native Hawaiian community was also consulted.
To help find the right name, Honolulu also looked at names of existing rail systems found elsewhere in the country including BART in San Francisco, DART in Dallas and the Metro in Washington, D.C.
Here at home, other possible names like TheTrain, Hoku, Moku, Kui, Ola, and Ilima were toyed with but eventually discarded, Nouchi said.
And in particular, the continued use of the name Rail — or even TheRail — were deemed total nonstarters for DTS, he added.
“And I think it might be due to just how rail was treated in public knowledge and in the media, where rail was always subscribed to a certain level of negativity,” he said. “We realized that if we called it Rail it would always carry that baggage with it.”
But he said the name, Skyline, was something entirely different.
“Skyline,” Nouchi added, “this name just fits, and feels right to us.”
The branding of Skyline is also expected to feature the artistic likeness of Honolulu’s official bird — the manu-o-Ku, or white fairy tern — around the rail system including having the image of the once-endangered bird that has seen its population rebound imprinted on what riders will have to use to access Skyline: the HOLO card.
Meanwhile, Honolulu is getting ready to launch the first 11-mile phase of the city’s rail line — from East Kapolei to Aloha Stadium — which will officially begin interim passenger operations at 2 p.m. June 30, with a grand-opening celebration at the Halawa rail station that will feature dignitaries and entertainment slated for earlier in the day, the city says.
In preparation, the city asserts the rail line is ready to take passengers.
Patrick Preusser, DTS director of rapid transit, said technically speaking, the need to test the safety and reliability of the system of all-electric, driverless trains has been completed.
“Testing is behind us,” said Preusser. “We completed an extensive trial operations phase. We completed a systems demonstration phase. And now we’re ready to open for business.”
As far as ridership numbers, DTS Director Roger Morton said the city expects about 8,000 to 10,000 riders per day by the end of the year.
“And I’m confident of that because I know what the ridership is on the parallel bus routes that go in the corridor,” Morton said. “Frankly, that’s not a great number, and it’s primarily because it’s the first of three segments.”
He added the next segment — from Aloha Stadium, past the airport, to Middle Street — will likely generate about 25,000 riders per day. The final segment — from Middle Street to downtown’s Civic Center area — will see ridership grow to about 85,000 riders per day.
As far as revenue projections for ridership on Honolulu’s pending rail line, city officials did not confirm numbers except to say that a portion of those rider- generated monies would go toward operations and maintenance.
“Historically, we have expected 25% to 30% of expenses to be made up by fares,” Morton said. “Now, we’re not making that right now as we still recover our ridership from COVID. But my expectation is that we will do more than that by the time the rail gets into town.”
As far as overall costs, Morton said the Hitachi Rail contract is a $54 million-per-year expense, while operational costs, including use of electricity throughout the system, adds up to $75 million annually.
Honolulu, he added, has a more than $400 million expense when including the city’s bus fleet and other mass transit options.
But when pressed on actual dollar amounts on what the city projects to receive from rail revenues linked to annual ridership, Morton said: “I have never even done the calculations.”
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How to ride Skyline
>> The public can ride the first phase of the rail station for free and without a HOLO card from 2 to 6 p.m June 30. The first phase covers an 11-mile, nine station route from Kualaka‘i station in East Kapolei to the Halawa station near Aloha Stadium.
>> All stations close at 7 p.m. But in order to ride the full length, passengers must board by 6 p.m. June 30.
>> From July 1-4, rides are free with a valid HOLO card. New HOLO cards cost $2 and there is a $3 minimum to load the card. Riders must tap the HOLO card at fare gates to enter the individual stations, but fares will not be deducted from their cards.
>> HOLO cards can be purchased at local retailers, rail station ticket vending machines at each rail station entrance or TheBus Pass Office. Senior, disability and youth riders can apply for a reduced-fare HOLO card at TheBus Pass Office at the Kalihi Transit Center. Visit www.thebus.org for HOLO card application requirements. For more information about HOLO cards and a list of retailers that sell them, visit www.holocard.net or call (808) 768-4656.
>> TheBus will be providing free rides to all riders July 1-4. Beginning July 1, TheBus will provide new routes to the rail stations.
>> Only three of the nine stations have parking. The Halawa station at Aloha Stadium has 580 spaces, the Keone‘ae station at the University of Hawaii—West Oahu has 304 spaces and the Honouliuli station at Ho‘opili has 344 spaces for passengers who want to park before boarding trains. Parking is free and the parking lots will close when the stations close.
>> Weekend and holiday hours are 8 a.m. – 7 p.m. and weekday hours are 5 a.m. – 7 p.m. During its opening weekend, rail will only operate its weekday hours July 3.
>> After the opening weekend, fares for rail will follow the same fare structure as TheBus. One tap of the HOLO card will allow riders to enter the station and board the next available train. Once the rider taps their card, they will be given a transfer, which allows them to board another train or TheBus, without being charged for 2.5 hours.
>> Single fares after the free tryout period will be $3 for adults, $1.50 for youth (6-17) and $1.25 for seniors (65 and over).
>> For more information about fares, visit www.honolulu.gov/skyline or www.thebus.org.
Source: Honolulu Department of Transportation Services
