Do Rail Properly

Djou on Politics

Rail is going to happen in Honolulu. I have long contended that a rail system will be prohibitively expensive for Oahu families, but the vote this past November settled the issue. Although I disagree with the result, I respect the verdict of the voters.

Even if the question over should Honolulu do rail is now settled, the question over how rail gets done still leaves much to be resolved. Even for rail proponents, the City's handling of the rail project thus far leaves much to be desired and much that needs correction. The exclusion of the Honolulu International Airport, in favor of Salt Lake Boulevard, was a significant error on the part of the City, which was the result of a back-room deal by the administration and the councilmember from Salt Lake to secure the votes needed on the City Council to go forward with rail. The administration's decision to open the first leg of the rail from dirt fields in East Kapolei to Waipahu rather than from the widely used airport to downtown is also nonsensical.

First, every major American city that proceeded with a rail system has connected its airport to the rail line. In Honolulu, tourism is the largest sector of our economy. Except for a handful of cruise ship passengers, every tourist who comes to Hawaii comes to us via the airport. Every rail study conducted in every major city, including Honolulu's, concluded that connecting the municipal airport makes sense. This makes it all that much more important to connect Honolulu International Airport to the rail system.

Furthermore, the second largest sector of our local economy is defense. The Pearl Harbor and Hickam Air Force Base area is one of the largest job centers in our state - not just for military service members, but for local civilian employees as well. If we are going to go forward with a rail system, it makes sense to connect this major employment center to the rail system.

My proposal to connect the airport and Pearl Harbor, however, does not mean that Salt Lake Boulevard will never be connected to the rail system. Rather, it changes the construction priority. Salt Lake Boulevard still remains a part of the master planned rail system for construction. The airport and Pearl Harbor area, however, will just be connected first in rail's initial operating segment.

Second, the first phase of the rail system should run from downtown to Aiea instead of from East Kapolei to Waipahu. Starting construction in-town will provide more immediate traffic relief, service more people and makes more sense. That's why virtually every other U.S. city that has done rail starts in-town rather than on the outskirts of town.

During the decade or two it takes to build rail, if a hurricane hits Oahu or if the current recession lasts longer than we expect, and the City can only afford to build 10 or 12 miles of the 20-mile rail system, it simply makes much more sense to have that 10 or 12 miles in-town between Aiea and downtown than connecting Waipahu and empty dirt fields in East Kapolei.

Over the next month, I strongly encourage the public to submit testimony to the City Council in support of shifting the rail route to the airport and Pearl Harbor. I also urge members of the public to send testimony to the FTA asking the City start the construction and first phasing of the rail system in-town.

Councilmember Djou represents the 4th Council District (Waikiki to Hawaii Kai). Outside of the City Council, Charles serves as a captain in the U.S. Army Reserve, and is an adjunct professor of law at Hawaii Pacific University.