Rail is a fail; who's going to hit the brakes?

by Keli'i Akina, Ph.D., President / CEO, Grassroot Institute of Hawaii

When it comes to the future of the Honolulu rail, it feels like we’re on a runaway train — pun intended.

The Skyline project has blown way past its construction deadlines and cost estimates, and there’s little evidence that anyone is fully in control.

It is becoming increasingly apparent that at some point, it’s going to be up to the public to hit the brakes and put things back on track.

Just this past week, we saw that the fiscal 2027 budget for the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation, which manages the rail project, will be 9.5% greater than the current budget, clocking in at $1.07 billion for combined operating and capital costs.

When the annual budget of a project plagued by spending issues and disappointing ridership numbers breaks through the $1 billion mark, that’s kind of a bright red-flag moment, wouldn’t you say?

Making matters worse, city officials are now considering extending the rail several more miles through Oahu’s urban core from its current planned end point in Kakaako to the University of Hawai‘i in Manoa. Yes, really.

Perhaps it’s time Oahu voters were given a chance to weigh in on these decisions about rail. I think the chances are good that the public vote that authorized the rail project way back in 2008 might have turned out differently if we could have seen where it stands now.

Even back then, the Honolulu rail proposal squeaked by with just a 53% approval rating, since many people were already aware that public rail projects virtually never finish on time and within budget.

Now, after so many problems and with so many questions still hanging over the Honolulu rail project, Hawaii residents are rightfully getting restless. It is obvious that we are in for a long-term financial obligation that we can ill afford, whether the train line is extended or not.

I know holding elections is no small matter, but with that in mind, I encourage our policymakers to consider whether major decisions regarding this widely acknowledged boondoggle should be put to a public vote. We couldn't see the future back in 2008, but we certainly know what to expect now.

E hana kākou! (Let's work together!)