Track construction under way on Honolulu metro
Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-ChiefTrack construction has started on the $ 5.16 billion HART (Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation) 20-mile, 21-station Honolulu Rail Transit rapid transit system on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, with initial work focusing on the area around Hoopili station in Ewa.
HART’s initial operating segment from East Kapolei to Aloha Stadium is expected to open in 2017, with the remainder of the line to Ala Moana Center scheduled for commissioning in 2019. Weekday ridership is expected to reach 119,600 by 2030. Services will operate between 4:00 a.m. and 12:00 a.m. seven days a week, with trains running at five-minute intervals during the peak and every 11 minutes at other times.
AnsaldoBreda has begun production of rolling stock for the line at its Pistoia plant in Italy, with deliveries scheduled to start in mid-2016. AnsaldoBreda and Ansaldo STS will supply 20 four-car trainsets under a $ 1.33 billion DBOM (design-build-operate-maintain) core systems contract that was awarded to the Ansaldo Honolulu Joint Venture in December 2011. Each trainset will accommodate up to 800 passengers.
