Losing rail bidder prepares lawsuit
The losing contractor of a bid for a half-billion-dollar project to build part of Honolulu’s planned rail line plans to sue and has asked the Federal Transit Administration to step in.
Bombardier Transportation USA Inc. said Monday it has asked the FTA to review the disqualification of its rail proposal by the city and the decision by a state hearings officer to uphold the denial.
The $574 million contract to build 80 rail cars and provide power to a system control center went to Ansaldo Honolulu in January.
Bombardier says it is asking the FTA to terminate the contract award. It also plans to file a lawsuit in Hawaii Circuit Court, claiming the city did not follow procurement law.
Tropical depression likely to bypass isles
Forecasters say a tropical depression formed far from land in the eastern Pacific Ocean could come as near as 500 miles southeast of Hawaii island at about 2 p.m. Saturday but is expected to be severely weakened by then.
The depression, with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph, was more than 1,600 miles from Hawaii Monday afternoon.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami says the depression could become a tropical storm today. It is moving west at 10 mph and is forecast to enter the Central Pacific as a tropical storm on Thursday.
But it is then anticipated to weaken and return to tropical depression status by Thursday afternoon, said Sam Houston, senior forecaster for the National Weather Service’s Honolulu office.
NEIGHBOR ISLANDS
Kauai’s mayor hosts 4 forums
Kauai’s mayor is holding four community meetings this month.
Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. says the forums are an effort for his administration to be more accessible to the public.
The meetings will run from 6 to 8 p.m. They will include reports on islandwide and regional projects.
Meetings at the Kilauea Neighborhood Center and the Waimea Neighborhood Center are scheduled for today and Wednesday, respectively.
Meetings at neighborhood centers in Lihue and Kalaheo are planned for Aug. 23 and 24, respectively.
