Prospects for Honolulu’s rail transit system advanced last week with Gov. Neil Abercrombie affixing his signature to the environmental impact statement prepared for the $5.5 billion, 20-mile project. Reasonable people might describe this as a sign that rail is finally picking up steam, especially since this is a plan that dates back seemingly to the steam-engine era.

But rail-backers, don’t pop the champagne corks yet. There’s so much more to do to realize a successful project that this is not the time to lose focus. Among the many next steps confronting the city, the one that probably deserves the greatest attention in the coming weeks is to put the right people at the controls.

Namely, the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation, a new semi-autonomous agency the voters empowered in November, should be constituted.

The rationale for putting a transit authority in charge of a massive undertaking like this is straightforward. The resolution to create the agency through City Charter amendment, proposed by the City Council last year, asserted that the authority "would have the ability to make decisions more quickly because of its singular focus: the success of the rail transit system," unfettered by the range of public and political concerns that occupy the City Council. Voters passed the amendment in November, which means the city should move to organize the agency governing board of 10.

Some political influences over the quasi-independent authority remain, however. Three of the nine voting members are named by the mayor, three by the Council. The directors of city and state transportation departments make the seventh and eighth members; these eight people choose the ninth. The director of the city Department of Planning and Permitting sits on the board as the 10th (but nonvoting) member.

That’s a fairly involved process, so the mayor should be making his picks. When the new Council is seated in a few weeks, the selection of the remaining key members should be among the top items in the order of business.

It’s important to have oversight soon. City officials say a programmatic agreement over the treatment of historic sites along the route is on the brink of final approval, and when that’s done the city can get the initial permits in place for the first, $483 million segment of work on the West Oahu guideway. Once the Federal Transit Administration signs off on the "record of decision" – the ultimate green light that’s expected to flash early next year – ground can be broken and the long-awaited creation of needed jobs can begin.

Even with the authority up and running, however, the public-review phase of the planning has only just begun. The law requires the transit authority to conduct some of the key elements of its work – fixing and adjusting rates and adopting a budget – only after public hearings. The authority must report to the mayor how public money is spent, and that must happen with full disclosure to the taxpayers supporting the project. The planning of transit-oriented development at each stop must reflect the needs of residents through whose communities the train will pass.

This is the most expensive public works project the city has undertaken, and although it’s been endorsed by a slim majority of voters, skepticism that the city can carry it out efficiently is still running strong. At this important juncture, elected leaders must demonstrate their commitment to getting the job done with transparency and professionalism. Making the transit authority a priority concern would be one way to gain public trust.