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RAIL - STUDY OTHER SOLUTIONS
This resolution is a request for the Honolulu City Council and HART to complete
the rail project by establishing transfer stations offering multimodal express
service at Lagoon Drive and Middle Street. A thorough analysis of this option is needed to
include in the Updated Financial Plan to be
presented to the Federal Transit Administration later this year.
WHEREAS, It
is clear we do not have the funding to build rail all the way to Ala Moana
Center, with rail’s deficit of $3.6 billion. Many are suggesting that a shorter
route is needed and can deliver a useful system, including our mayor, some HART
board members, City Councilmembers, other politicians, and various media voices; and
WHEREAS, HART is preparing a Financial
Plan, due by December, to explain to the FTA how rail will be funded and
completed, which offers a chance to include this alternative solution for
Honolulu’s rail project. There is urgent need to look at this
option now to get the system up and running as soon as possible with the
existing budget to provide relief for Leeward travelers; and
WHEREAS, The situation is a blessing in disguise, allowing time to
update critical projections on operating costs, climate change impacts,
ridership, and more. It necessarily puts
new focus on how far the tracks should extend and how to best continue travel
service from an alternative terminus, none of which have yet been properly
studied. Five different endpoints are being considered: Aloha Tower, Chinatown,
Kalihi, Middle Street and Lagoon Drive; and
WHEREAS, Middle and Lagoon
are ideal transfer stations because they are in good position to work together
sharing the passenger load. Much
to its credit, the rail can offer some relief by giving H-1 drivers an
alternative way to reach the edge of town, then transfer to express buses and
similar vehicles. Travelers
step off the train at the multimodal station, ride escalators to transfer
platforms, board express vehicles, then sit down for direct rides to their
destinations; and
WHEREAS, Express routes along North King Street, Dillingham and
Nimitz can take full advantage of our existing roads, which can be improved to
enhance traffic flow, including some dedicated lanes and
synchronized traffic signals. These routes can provide direct service to
various destinations including Downtown, UH Manoa, Ala Moana and Waikiki. Our major
rush-hour traffic problem is along H-1, not on the streets in the urban center,
which have sufficient capacity to handle express buses; and
WHEREAS, This is not a proposal
to “stop rail” or advocate for automobiles. It is a plan to increase the
ridership and effectiveness of mass transit. Our
goal should be creating the best multi-modal
transportation system, with the largest total ridership, rather than focusing
solely on rail; and
WHEREAS,
Rail to bus service could begin within two years and fulfill
the original goals of the project with a lower construction
cost which could likely be paid for with current funding, requiring no further
tax increases. It also has the flexibility to incorporate new
transportation technologies, including electric autonomous vehicles of various
sizes and routes that can be modified to meet demand;
and
WHEREAS, If rail usage is high, and funding can be secured, future
extension of the elevated train tracks is always an option, but expansion
beyond Middle is not necessary or desirable at this time, and is faced with
enormous problems of funding, construction, and aesthetics which would only add
further delays; and
WHEREAS, The appearance of downtown would be marred by an elevated
structure blocking views of the waterfront and Aloha Tower, and there is no good location there for a bus transfer
station. Chinatown has the same issues, and extension to Kalihi, near the
prison, is likewise unneeded. Infrastructure challenges along Dillingham have
made these options extremely difficult. Fortunately, no contracts have been
issued for any construction beyond Middle Street, so no work need be done there
unless further studies warrant it; and
WHEREAS, The Federal Transit Administration
is waiting for our Updated Financial Plan at the end of this year and by all
accounts is fed up and deeply embarrassed by our prolonged problems but will
surely show support by issuing remaining funds when a reasonable plan is
presented. In 2016 the FTA said we could
“make a fundamental choice to…reduce the scope of the Project… perhaps
(establish) an interim terminus.”:
RESOLVED: We respectfully ask the
Honolulu City Council and HART to establish transfer stations at Lagoon Drive
and Middle Street to complete the rail project and efficiently extend travel
services beyond those points with multimodal express
service; and
RESOLVED: Study of this alternative
shall include cost of construction and Operation & Maintenance, funding
projections, determination of how far the rail line can be built with current
finances, updated ridership projections and effects of telecommuting,
autonomous self-driving vehicles, bus rapid transit technology, sea level rise
and other relevant concerns; and
RESOLVED: No major new construction contracts or
land acquisitions for the Middle Street to Ala Moana section shall be awarded
pending results of the study; and
RESOLVED: Our congressional delegation should work
with the Federal Transit Administration to determine how the existing Federal
grant can be modified; and copies of this Resolution shall be transmitted to
all the Neighborhood Boards, the Members of the Honolulu City Council, HART
Executive Director and Board of Directors, the Honolulu Mayor’s Office, our
Congressional delegation, and the Administrator of the Federal
Transit Administration.
Download a PDF version of the resolution here