Honolulu’s first rail passengers arrived by bus, Handi-Van, bicycle and on foot this afternoon to experience for themselves what Hawaii’s largest public works project has produced.

Some plan to ride it again. For others, it was a novelty to be among the first to experience the nine-station, 11-mile route from East Kapolei to Halawa.

At least one person vomited inside one of the four-car trains and another collapsed at a station, according to some people as the trains made round trips from Halawa to East Kapolei.

A few passengers complained that the ride was “bumpy.”

Others enjoyed the air-conditioned trains that were packed with as many as 800 passengers.

“They were all smiling and filled with aloha,” said Cynthia Durant, 65, of Kapolei, who rode skyline with her husband, Danny, 65, and their two friends, Kathleen and Deidre Echiverni, of Makakilo.

A common comment was the elevated views of West Loch’s mothball Navy fleet along with the ability to count the number of warships in Pearl Harbor.

Danny Durant and his wife and friends called the views “awesome.”

Aiea resident Clinton Billington said, “I saw things I’ve never seen and I’m 47 years old.”

He brought along his daughters, Brooke, 12, and Leah, 15, who also gushed about being able to take in mauka and makai views that they had never experienced.

The Billingtons were the first passengers to board the first train leaving the Halawa Station. Clinton said the route doesn’t work for him and it could be his last trip on rail, known as Skyline.

But the girls said they’ll likely ride Skyline again, specifically for the views, and Leah may also take it to see friends on the Leeward Coast.

At the Halawa Station, passengers began lining up two hours in advance of the scheduled 2 p.m. commencement of free ridership, which continues through the Fourth of July.

A loud cheer erupted when the first of more than 200 passengers were finally let into the Halawa Station, located across Salt Lake Boulevard from Aloha Stadium, at about 1:30 p.m. By 2:20 p.m., a line of more than 1,000 riders snaked around the station.

The day began in a celebratory mood, with Mayor Rick Blangiardi calling it “a magnificent moment.”

Today’s public unveiling of the first segment of Skyline is expected to lead to further expansion to its original destination at Ala Moana Center, Hawaii’s largest transit hub.