Still on track?

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Posted Wednesday, 2 April 2008, 09:48 HST @741

Tomorrow, the Honolulu city council resumes its discussion of the rapid mass transit project. The city council has to make its decision: rail, bus or maglev. Bobbie Slater in the Hawaii Reporter has a good overview of what the meeting might be like.

Despite Todd Apo’s last-minute amendment, magnetic levitation may be eliminated. The German government canceled a major maglev train project in Munich last week, according to Wired. One of the lead contractors in the proposed project, ThyseenKrupp, may sell its maglev business unit to a Chinese company, according to Deutsche Welle. This Reuters article describes the controversy as German politicians and executives scurry to escape blame.

Nothing has been set in stone, of course. The location of the transit stations may shift for many reasons. This article in revealed that the UH-Weat Oahu train stop has been moved 1000 feet away from campus to accommodate existing roads and a planned housing development. Some Salt Lake residents are concerned with noise from the proposed train system. Councilman Romy Cachola managed to divert the system through his district, in exchange for his vote last year.

No Aloha

Mazie Hirono has already spoken to Jim Oberstar about Aloha Airlines. Dan Inouye may hold his own Senate hearing on Aloha. See today’s Advertiser for details.

The state cannot afford to build mass transit or highway systems on its own. Transportation is a public utility, much like the water, electric and telephone systems. As the state’s tax revenues dip, other companies like Hawaiian Telcom are struggling to preserve their revenues.

Federal money is the key

Jim Oberstar is chair of a powerful Congressional transportation committee, and he’s promised US$900M in Federal money for the Honolulu rapid mass transit project. He does like to use his power. It’s part of a long tradition of upper Midwestern congressmen like Walter Mondale, Hubert Humphrey, Jim Sensenbrenner and others.

Currying favor with Oberstar is smart lobbying. Without Federal funds, Honolulu can’t keep up with its traffic problem. The state cannot afford any sort of solution on its own.

I still prefer the big buses to trains. The lone dissenter on the technology panel, Panos Prevedouros, has an article in yesterday’s Hawaii Reporter about the panel’s abbreviated decision-making process.

The UH professor also notes that San Francisco’s BART system faces a US$11 billion bill to refurbish its trains and tracks. Honolulu would face a similar bill after 20 or 30 years of rail service, especially if the tracks start rusting like Aloha Stadium did.

Dksopedia’s article on Honolulu fixed rail has been updated recently, and it has a nice reference list and timeline.

30 March 2008:Aloha Airlines shuts down
20 March 2008: Like a fifth wheel
21 February 2008: Delhi catches monorail fever: Is Honolulu next?
6 February 2008: Hawaii has highest car ownership costs in the USA
5 February 2008: HawTel replaces CEO with turnaround specialist
21 June 2007: Mayor: state could pay for airport mass transit line
19 June 2007: City council, planners still arguing over mass transit routes, modes

Tags: airline, Aloha, California, congress, Federal, government, Hawaii, Honolulu, mass-transit, minnesota, rail, train, USA, Wisconsin

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1 response so far ↓

1 billso // Friday, 4 April 2008, 09:05 HST @712

According to today’s Honolulu Advertiser:

The City Council’s Committee on Transportation and Public Works yesterday voted 4-1 to eliminate rubber-tire and magnetic levitation technology from consideration for the 20-mile transit network. The vote, which followed an eight-hour hearing, reverses a March 19 council decision to continue to evaluate all three technologies.

The council is expected to continue to debate technology options prior to a final vote April 16. However, most committee members yesterday felt the issue has been debated enough.

“I don’t think we comply with what we said we were going to do if we throw out (for continued deliberation) three technologies,” said council member Todd Apo. “We need to make that decision. I do believe that steel on steel is the best selection for what we are trying to do.”