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92-492: The agency is currently led by Chief Kenneth Green. His predecessor was Chief Paul MacMillan who was initially appointed acting chief in 2007 by then MBTA General Manager Daniel Grabauskas to replace Joseph C. Carter who left the job to accept the position of Adjutant General (TAG) of the Massachusetts National Guard . In 2008, Grabauskas permanently appointed MacMillan chief of the agency. MacMillan

184-488: A "forensic audit" to establish the cause of the increase. The tax increase legislation passed in 2017 also requires the State auditor carry out an audit of the project's accounts and to consider alternatives for completing the system. The projected shortfall for the rail project is roughly $ 3 billion, with the completion date pushed back to 2031. After winning the 2004 election, Hannemann announced that construction of

276-667: A "rubber-tired" mass transit system, as opposed to the conventional system chosen by the Hannemann administration. Prevedouros, on the other hand, opposed any type of mass-transit project, favoring construction of a reversible tollway over the H-1 , similar to the Managed Lane option which the Alternatives Analysis studied and rejected as unworkable, and reworking existing road systems to ease congestion. No candidate won

368-507: A 43-acre maintenance and storage facility, three park-and-ride lots, and one park-and-ride structure. Grabauskas resigned from HART in August 2016. HART Board of Directors member Michael D. Formby was named as interim director. Skyline (Honolulu) Skyline is a rapid transit system in the City and County of Honolulu on the island of Oʻahu , in the state of Hawaiʻi . Phase 1 of

460-632: A Deputy Secretary of EOCD from 1991 to 1995. He then served as the chief of staff to the Massachusetts Secretary of Health and Human Services. From 1995 to 1996 Grabauskas lived and worked in Lithuania as the resident program officer for the nonprofit International Republican Institute . In 1997 he became chief of staff in the Massachusetts Department of Economic Development. From 1998 to 1999, Grabauskas served as

552-595: A balanced cantilever construction method was used instead. This covers the segments from Pier 252 to Pier 256. Instead of precast segments, Kiewit used segments cast in-place, starting from the piers set in the freeway medians and working towards adjacent piers. The yellow-painted traveling forms at each end were used to cast each segment, then moved to the fresh end to cast the next segment. Each segment required 8,000 pounds (3,600 kg) of rebar and 48 cubic yards (37 m ) of concrete, and weighed 210,000 lb (95,000 kg). 73 segments were required. The final pour for

644-482: A budget blowout. The council also required that the money raised by the extension go into a contingency fund and to pay for disability access to the system. HART was required to provide quarterly financial reports to the council. On September 1, 2017, the Legislature, after meeting for a week in a special session on rail financing, approved further taxes to raise $ 2.4 billion for the project. The taxes include

736-463: A complete environmental impact statement before moving Honolulu forward in the grant-awarding process. Hannemann's urge to move fast in the project ultimately allowed stakeholders to delay some important foundational work such as the environmental impact study. The City and County of Honolulu Department of Transportation Services released the first formal study related to the HHCTCP on November 1, 2006,

828-467: A further three-year extension to the 0.5 percent General Excise Tax surcharge, which will now expire in 2030, and a thirteen-year, one percent surcharge on the existing 9.25 percent statewide Transient Accommodation Tax (TAT) which is charged to hotel guests. Efforts to pass a funding bill in May 2017 had failed and the impetus for the special session was an FTA deadline of September 15 for a funding plan to cover

920-454: A hearing on January 12, 2011, about the state's financial review, but the hearing was not attended by any state officials, who had been invited to testify. On January 18, 2011, the FTA issued a "record of decision", indicating that the project had met the requirements of its environmental review and that the city was allowed to begin construction work on the project. The record of decision allowed

1012-652: A majority of votes in the September 20 primary, forcing a runoff between Hannemann and Kobayashi; Hannemann successfully retained his post with 58% of the vote in the November 4 general election. On April 22, 2008, the Stop Rail Now advocacy group announced their intent to file a petition with the city to place a question on the 2008 ballot to create an ordinance that read: "Honolulu mass transit shall not include trains or rail". Stop Rail Now attempted to submit

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1104-528: A member of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority board. During his tenure as Transportation Secretary, the department employed a "fix it first" strategy" which prioritized repairs to existing infrastructure over the construction of new ones. He oversaw the introduction of the first statewide 20-year transportation plan. The plan directed that at least 75 percent of all new capital spending be focused toward maintaining and improving

1196-473: A merger, the existing MBTA officers could form a new State Police troop concentrating on providing security for inner-city Boston subway and bus systems, while state police officers could concentrate on commuter rail stations, T parking and MBTA routes outside of the city. The union representing state police officers opposes the merger citing different training methods and selection processes for officers and extra competition for promotion opportunities. Because of

1288-635: A rail line was an administration priority. The following May and upon prompting by the city, the Hawaii State Legislature passed a bill (Act 247) to allow counties a one-half percent increase in the Hawaiʻi General Excise Tax (GET), from 4% to 4.5%, to fund transportation projects. According to the bill, increased revenue would be delivered to counties implementing the raised tax to fund general public transportation infrastructure throughout Hawaiʻi, and to pay for mass transit in

1380-472: A required three months of field testing and certification (to be carried out by Hitachi) was scheduled to begin in January 2022. In December 2021, it was decided that temporary welding fixes would be made to allow the trains to run at operational speeds despite the narrower wheels, with plans to swap out wheels with wider ones during future maintenance work. An initial call searching for contractors to perform

1472-608: A senior fellow for public policy at MassINC and as chairman and senior strategic adviser of the Bronner Center for Transportation Management. In March 2012 Grabauskas was named Executive Director and CEO of the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) after he and the HART board of directors agreed on a three-year contract that includes an annual base salary of $ 245,000, a $ 36,000 a year housing allowance,

1564-523: A transportation allowance of $ 6,000 a year, and a potential $ 35,000 annual performance bonus. HART oversees the Honolulu High-Capacity Transit Corridor Project , the largest public works project in the history of the state of Hawaii. The project, scheduled to open in 2019, is a $ 9.2 billion, 20-mile long automated rail system that plans to operate a fleet of 80 rail cars and an infrastructure of 21 stations,

1656-451: Is divided into four sections with overlapping construction periods and expected revenue service dates: On October 21, 2009, the city announced Kiewit Pacific Co. had won the $ 483 million contract to build the first phase of the line (the 7-mile (11 km) long Farrington and 4-mile (6.4 km) long Kamehameha sections), bidding $ 90 million under the expected price. The stations were tendered separately. The construction of

1748-649: Is due to open in 2031. Its construction constitutes the largest public works project in Hawaiʻi's history. The 18.9-mile (30.4 km), automated fixed-guideway line was planned, designed, and constructed by the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART), a semi-autonomous government agency. Hitachi Rail, who also built the railcars used on the line, operates Skyline for the Honolulu Department of Transportation Services (which also manages

1840-495: Is ideally suited to rail. In opposition, freeway advocate Panos Prevedouros has questioned its cost-effectiveness compared to "road widening or lane addition", and believes it will have marginal impact on traffic congestion. Construction of Skyline is financed by a surcharge on local taxes as well as a $ 1.55 billion grant from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). After major cost overruns,

1932-641: Is shared with municipal police departments, and the Massachusetts State Police on Massport and DCR property. Daniel Grabauskas Daniel Anthony Grabauskas (born June 27, 1963) is an American transportation executive and government figure, who is the former executive director and CEO of the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) and former general manager of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). Grabauskas

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2024-423: Is supported on single piers, each 6 to 7 feet (1.8 to 2.1 m) in diameter at the base and 30 feet (9.1 m) high, flaring at the top to support the lower section of the box girder; the piers are themselves supported by drilled shafts from 7 to 8 feet (2.1 to 2.4 m) in diameter. Casting of the box girder segments began in 2014 at a rate of 13 segments per day; in total, 5,238 segments will be required for

2116-817: Is the first agency chief appointed from within the ranks of the organization. In October 1968, legislation was passed (Chapter 664 of the Acts of 1968, amended by Chapter 829 of the Acts of 1970 and Chapter 329 of the Acts of 1993) which created the MBTA Police Department (hereafter referred to as the MBTA Transit Police Department or the MBTA Transit Police) under the provisions of Massachusetts General Law (M.G.L.), Chapter 31. The first full-time MBTA Transit Police Officers were hired on December 9, 1968. Chapter 664 of

2208-630: The Alternatives Analysis Report . The report compared the cost and benefits of a "fixed guideway system", along with three alternatives. The first expanded the existing bus system to match population growth . A second option called for a further expansion to the bus system, with improvements to existing roads. The third alternative proposed a two-lane flyover above the H-1 freeway between Pearl City and Honolulu International Airport, continuing over Nimitz Highway , and into downtown Honolulu. The report recommended construction of

2300-517: The COVID-19 pandemic and utility relocation work. By March 2021, this had grown to $ 12.4 billion, with its estimated completion date moved forward to March 2031. Its construction constitutes Hawaiʻi's largest public works project ever. Skyline consists of an almost entirely elevated rapid transit line from the eastern edge of Kapolei , near the University of Hawaiʻi–West Oʻahu campus, to

2392-677: The College of the Holy Cross and his MBA from Cornell University 's Johnson School of Management. Grabauskas began his government career in 1987 on the staff of Massachusetts State Senator Mary L. Padula (R-Lunenburg) and soon became her chief of staff. After Padula's appointment as Massachusetts Secretary of the Executive Office of Communities and Development (EOCD) in 1991, he briefly worked as chief of staff for State Senator Richard Tisei (R-Wakefield) before joining Padula as

2484-537: The Hawaii Capital Historic District , with a future expansion planned to Ala Moana Center (east of downtown Honolulu ). It will have twenty-one stations and run from Kapolei to Honolulu on the southern shore of Oʻahu , passing through Waipahu , Pearl City , Waimalu , Aiea , and Halawa . The only at-grade trackage is a 0.6-mile (0.97 km) section near Leeward Community College , but has no grade crossings . The full project

2576-758: The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). During his four-plus years as General Manager, the MBTA switched its payment method from tokens to the CharlieCard , construction on the Greenbush Line was completed, and WiFi service was installed on commuter rail trains and boats. In 2009, the MBTA bought out the remainder of Grabauskas' contract, citing the Authority's continuing financial problems, customer service complaints, and Grabauskas' handling of two subway accidents. Grabauskas' ouster, which

2668-537: The Massachusetts State Police due to budgetary and staffing concerns. The union which represents the MBTA Transit Police supports this plan citing the difficulty the 257-member force has providing security for a transit system that spans 177 cities and towns in the state. They also cite a rider to officer ratio of 5,058 passengers per transit officer, far greater than the national average of 1,759 passengers per transit officer. The union reasons that after

2760-578: The $ 5.3 billion projected cost, and that collections from the General Excise Tax would be 30% below forecasts. Then Mayor Peter Carlisle (Democrat) dismissed the study as "damaged goods," and "a pre-determined anti-rail rant." He also pointed to several conclusions as "erroneous" and "inaccurate" before concluding that "spending a third of a million dollars for this shoddy, biased analysis is an appalling waste of our tax dollars." Lingle's Democratic successor, Neil Abercrombie , publicly stated that

2852-473: The 2008 general election. City Councilmember Ann Kobayashi , running as a mayoral candidate against incumbent Hannemann, suggested that the city deliberately withheld key information to early voters who had already cast their ballots for the mayoral candidates, and a city charter amendment related to the project. The anti-rail advocacy group Stop Rail Now criticized the report for not further discussing bus rapid transit and toll lanes, options studied earlier by

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2944-466: The Acts of 1968 (amended by Chapter 829 of the Acts of 1970 and Chapter 329 of the Acts of 1993): established a Police Department under the supervision of a Police Officer to be known as a Chief of Police; provided that all Police Officers except for the positions of the Chief, Superintendent or Major would be subject to Chapter 31; provided that all Police Officers would have, within the territorial limits of

3036-507: The Commuter Rail System. The Transit Police promotes safety and security throughout Greater Boston and eastern Massachusetts , working with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies . The MBTA Transit Police Department provides police services to patrons and employees of the Authority on MBTA property and vehicles. Enforcement of transit-related laws off MBTA property, such as writing parking tickets at bus stops,

3128-483: The HART project in 1986, but this second effort was stopped in a 1992 vote by the Honolulu City Council against the necessary tax increase. Fasi resigned in 1994 to run for governor, with Jeremy Harris winning the special election to replace him. Harris unsuccessfully pursued a bus rapid transit project as an interim solution until he left office in 2004. His successor, Mufi Hannemann , began

3220-406: The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) on July 1, 2011. HART is a semi-autonomous government agency authorized to develop, operate, maintain, and expand the rail system. HART is led by its own Board of Directors, which appoints an Executive Director/CEO to provide leadership, direction and supervision of the day-to-day business activities of the agency. In March 2012, Dan Grabauskas

3312-515: The Honolulu High-Capacity Transit Corridor Project (HHCTCP), the island's fourth attempt to build a mass transit system operating in a dedicated right-of-way. Hannemann thought it was "prudent to move quickly" to show the FTA that Honolulu was committed to the HHCTCP. An environmental impact study had not been completed at the time of signing the first construction contract with Kiewit. The FTA needed

3404-420: The already funded $ 6.5 billion budget, was ruled out because of lower ridership, legal risks, insufficient contingency and other reasons. The new project cost was $ 8.165 billion with media reports indicating that after financing charges are included it could be over $ 10 billion. An updated schedule for opening said the section from East Kapolei to Aloha Stadium will open at the end of 2020 and operation of

3496-605: The archaeological surveys to be conducted in phases. Kaleikini's lawyers subsequently appealed to the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court, which heard oral arguments in the case on May 24, 2012. The court ruled on August 24, 2012, that it agreed with plaintiff Kaleikini that the archaeological survey needed to be completed before construction could take place, and that the State Historic Preservation Division did not comply with state law when it approved

3588-424: The area since 2002 have each encountered unforeseen human remains that led to delays, and archaeologist Thomas Dye stated, "The council is absolutely right that you should expect to find burials on Halekauwila Street". The Burial Council's core contention was the city's decision to conduct an archaeological survey of the rail line's route in phases, meaning construction on a majority of the line will be complete by

3680-491: The authority, the powers and duties conferred or imposed upon Police Officers of cities and towns by Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 41, Section 98; provided MBTA Transit Police Officers additional powers of Railway Police Officers under Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 159, Section 93; and provided that MBTA Transit Police Officers have the same authority on city or town property as they have on MBTA property. Therefore, MBTA Transit Police Officers have full police powers within

3772-602: The bill was enacted as Act 247 of the Session Laws of Hawaiʻi 2005, without the Governor's signature. A month later, the Honolulu City Council authorized the one-half percent GET increase, and Hannemann signed the measure into law on August 24. Act 247 required Honolulu to use the funds only for the construction and operation of a mass transit system, and barred its use for public roads and other existing transit systems, such as TheBus . Since no other county authorized

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3864-474: The case of the City and County of Honolulu. Money collected from the initial 4% GET would remain state revenue. Republican governor Linda Lingle initially threatened to veto the bill, believing that money destined for county governments should be collected by the individual counties. After compromising with legislative leaders and Mayor Hannemann, however, she allowed the bill to become law. On July 12, 2005,

3956-462: The citizens of Oʻahu. Construction of the rail line was approved by 53% of voters in November 2008, and ground broke on project construction on February 22, 2011. For more than 50 years, some Honolulu politicians have attempted to construct a rail transit line. In 1966, then-mayor Neal S. Blaisdell suggested a rail line as a solution to alleviate traffic problems in Honolulu, stating, "Taken in

4048-472: The city alter plans for the rail line after news reports on FTA documents where the federal agency raised issues over declining tax revenues in connection with a global economic recession , and commissioned a study by the state to review the project's finances in March. The state financial study, publicly released on December 2, 2010, indicated that the project would likely experience a $ 1.7 billion overrun above

4140-487: The city clerk deemed only 35,056 of the signatures valid, well short of the 44,525 required. In response to the possibility that Stop Rail Now's petition would fail, the City Council had however voted on August 21 to place a proposed amendment to the city charter on the ballot, asking voters to decide the fate of the project. Mayor Hannemann signed the proposal the following day. The City Council's proposed amendment

4232-630: The city in its Alternatives Analysis. The third and final official planning document, the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS), was approved and cleared for public release by the FTA on June 14, 2010. The FEIS addresses and incorporates public comments received regarding the DEIS. The FTA subsequently declared the environmental review process complete in a record of decision issued on January 18, 2011. Like most major infrastructure work in Hawaiʻi, construction of

4324-475: The city to begin negotiating with owners of land that will be purchased for the project, to begin relocating utility lines to make way for construction of the line and stations, and to purchase rolling stock for the rail line. A ground-breaking ceremony was held on February 22, 2011, in Kapolei, at the site of the future East Kapolei station along Kualakai Parkway. The City and County of Honolulu established

4416-501: The city to complete the project according to the original plan. The process to award the contract for building the final 4.3-mile (6.9 km) section through downtown Honolulu was suspended in 2015. The process was restarted in September 2017, and the first major contract for that section, estimated at $ 400 million, was awarded in May 2018. The final cost has grown from preliminary projections of $ 4 billion in 2006 to as much as $ 12.4 billion by 2021. Critics have called for

4508-593: The city's programmatic agreement on January 15, 2011, over the continuing concerns of the Burial Council. The city's decision to conduct the archaeological survey in phases subsequently led to a lawsuit filed on February 1, 2011, by the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation on behalf of cultural practitioner Paulette Kaleikini. The suit, which named both the city and the State of Hawaiʻi as defendants, contended that state law requires

4600-399: The document was distributed via the city's official project website four days later. The DEIS indicated that impacts of the rail project would include land acquisition from private owners on the route, displacement of residents and businesses, aesthetic concerns related to the elevated guideway, and noise from passing trains. The city was criticized for timing the release only two days before

4692-456: The election, and promptly went on to adopt Carlisle's position that rail should be completed. Construction on the rail line was originally scheduled to begin in December 2009 but did not occur due to delays in the project review process and delays in obtaining federal approval of the environmental impact statement. In January 2010, Republican Governor Linda Lingle publicly recommended that

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4784-488: The excise tax increase before the deadline of December 31, 2005, the Hawaiʻi GET remains at 4% for the state's three other counties. The increase went into effect on January 1, 2007, and was due to expire on December 31, 2022. The Legislature considered a bill in the 2009 legislative session that would have redirected income from the half-percent increase back to the state to offset a $ 1.8 billion projected shortfall in

4876-413: The financial analysis would not affect his decision to approve or disapprove of the project, saying that the state's responsibility is limited to the environmental review process, and that decisions regarding the project's finances belong to the city and the FTA. Governor Abercrombie subsequently approved the project's final environmental impact statement on December 16, 2010. The Honolulu City Council held

4968-464: The first 10 mi (16 km) phase. The segments are cast locally in Kalaeloa . Each segment weighs 100,000 pounds (45,000 kg) and measures (L×W×H, with length measured along the direction of the rails) 11 by 30 by 7 feet (3.4 m × 9.1 m × 2.1 m), and the deck ranges in thickness from 8 to 15 inches (200 to 380 mm). Once the piers were erected, a pier bracket ram

5060-456: The first three segments, nor does it affect construction planning, design, or engineering in segment 4, which is the final segment to be built. The Phase 4 area encompasses the downtown area and its immediate environs, including Chinatown , Mother Waldron Park, and Beretania Street. Judge Tashima, the only sitting judge on the case, ruled on condition of the injunction that the city is required to file periodic status updates on their compliance with

5152-542: The fixed guideway, and is considered the city's official justification for building a rail line. A second planning document, the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), studied possible natural and social impacts of the construction and operation of the HHCTCP. The DEIS was completed and cleared for public release by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) on October 29, 2008. After minor changes were made to comply with state law,

5244-540: The following three fiscal years. The bill was opposed by Mayor Hannemann and other city leaders who believed that redirecting the money would jeopardize federal funding for the project, and was eventually dropped after U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye indicated to the Legislature that he shared the city's concerns. In January 2016, the Council extended the GET for another five years to add $ 1.2 billion in funding to cover

5336-474: The full length of the rail line to have an archaeological survey conducted before any construction takes place, and seeks to void the environmental impact statement and all construction permits issued for the project. Kaleikini's lawyers filed on February 18 a request for an injunction to stop work on the project until the case is resolved. The suit was initially dismissed on March 23, 2011, after Circuit Court Judge Gary Chang ruled that state and federal laws allow

5428-427: The full route by December 2025. In September 2017, HART submitted an updated recovery plan to the FTA with a new estimate price of $ 9.02 billion. The plan still includes $ 8.165 billion in construction costs, but has reduced financing costs of $ 858 million following state legislation granting both prolonged and new taxes to fund the project. The State Auditor has been tasked to consider alternatives for completing

5520-519: The interminable waits at the Registry. During his tenure as Registrar, Grabauskas was able to reduce the average wait time at the agency from an hour and fifteen minutes to less than ten minutes. He also instituted the use of the Q-Matic queuing system, which allows customers to view their estimated wait times on customized tickets or online. In addition, the number of online transaction available to

5612-466: The judgment. The injunction will then terminate 30 days after defendants file a notice of final compliance. The importance of the Honolulu High-Capacity Transit Corridor Project in the 2008 mayoral election led one observer to describe the vote as a "referendum on rail transit". Two challengers emerged as rivals to incumbent Mufi Hannemann : City Councilmember Ann Kobayashi and University of Hawaiʻi professor Panos D. Prevedouros . Kobayashi supported

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5704-565: The legal proceedings so a judgment would only be delivered after a significant proportion of the line had been completed. Interim service over the first ten miles of the line, between East Kapolei and Aloha Stadium, was scheduled to commence in October 2020. However, complications due to the COVID-19 pandemic pushed the start date back by three months. By November 2020, the opening had again slipped to late 2021 due to delays in testing equipment. In December 2020, HART discovered early wear on

5796-516: The majority of those living outside the project's scope in Windward Oahu and East Honolulu voted against it. In mid-2010, Hannemann resigned as mayor to run for governor and Kirk Caldwell assumed the position of interim mayor. In the 2016 Honolulu mayoral election the main three candidates again took opposing views on rail. Honolulu City Council Member Charles Djou , former mayor Peter Carlisle , and incumbent Kirk Caldwell all ran with

5888-490: The manganese welding work failed to return any bids. Due to the lack of local companies able to complete the work, the state's Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs granted HART an exemption allowing mainland contractors to be hired. Proponents of the system say it will alleviate worsening traffic congestion , already among the worst in the United States. They assert that the urban agglomeration in south Oʻahu

5980-585: The mass, the automobile is a noxious mechanism whose destiny in workaday urban use is to frustrate man and make dead certain that he approaches his daily occupation unhappy and inefficient." Frank Fasi was elected to office in 1968, and started planning studies for a rail project, named Honolulu Area Rapid Transit (HART), in 1977. After Fasi lost the 1980 reelection to Eileen Anderson , President Ronald Reagan cut off funding for all upcoming mass transit projects, which led Anderson to cancel HART in 1981. Fasi defeated Anderson in their 1984 rematch and restarted

6072-462: The petition with 49,041 signatures on August 5, but was initially denied after the city clerk claimed the city charter did not allow the petition to be submitted less than 180 days before a general election, as the wording of the petition called for a special election. The group filed a lawsuit to force the city to accept the petition, and the courts ruled in Stop Rail Now's favor on August 14. Stop Rail Now's effort ultimately failed on September 4 when

6164-489: The platforms on the stations already constructed. Proponents say it would save $ 3 billion and four years of construction, as well as avoid disturbing burial sites under the downtown area. After an extension was granted by the FTA, HART submitted its recovery plan in April 2017 which concluded that completion of the original 21 station route was the only viable option. An alternative "Plan B" to build only 14 stations within

6256-415: The project due to associated major impacts to existing infrastructure and unpopular traffic delays. To speed construction, the elevated trackway is built using precast concrete box girder bridge segments . This method was first used for MARTA in the 1980s. The trackway was designed by FIGG Bridge Engineers (responsible for the box girder segmental bridge) and HNTB (responsible for the columns). It

6348-556: The project management contractor, said under a worst-case scenario the final cost would be $ 10.79 billion. In January 2017, a group called "Salvage the Rail" published a plan, based on Option 2A from six alternatives proposed by the FTA to HART in 2016, that would terminate the elevated section at Middle Street and run at street level to the terminus along a route one block inland from the HART plan. The system would need to be reconfigured to use new driver-operated low floor vehicles, lowering

6440-465: The project opened June 30, 2023 and lies entirely outside of the Urban Honolulu census-designated place , linking East Kapolei (on the ʻEwa Plain) and Aloha Stadium . Phase 2, connecting to Pearl Harbor and Daniel K. Inouye International Airport before reaching Middle Street , is anticipated to open in late 2025. The final phase, continuing the line across Urban Honolulu to Downtown ,

6532-570: The project. The case has now been remanded to Circuit Court. On December 27, 2012, the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii granted the plaintiffs' injunction, and ordered that all construction-related activities in segment 4 of the archaeological survey be halted until compliance with the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court decision made earlier this year is met. This ruling does not affect construction activities in

6624-466: The projected cost of the merger (estimated at $ 11 million), the merger seems unlikely, at best. The MBTA Transit Police Department has jurisdiction and full police authority in all of the 177 cities and towns that comprise the MBTA service area. Outside the 177 cities and towns, the Transit Police exercises street railway police powers on the vehicles, properties and rights of way that comprise

6716-556: The public was greatly expanded, with online transactions rising from about 30,000 in 1999 to over 500,000 in 2002. In January 2002, Grabauskas resigned as Registrar to run for Treasurer of Massachusetts. He defeated Bruce A. Herzfelder in the Republican primary 53% to 47%. He lost in the general election to Democrat Tim Cahill 51% to 41%. After that loss, Governor-elect Mitt Romney named Grabauskas to his cabinet as Secretary of Transportation and Construction. He also served as

6808-430: The rail line started from suburban areas in Kapolei and Ewa, and progresses east towards the urban center in Honolulu. There are 112 columns from Kualakaʻi station to the ʻEwa area. The choice to start from Kapolei was made because the first phase must include a baseyard for trains, which is more cheaply built away from the center, and also because the city chose to delay construction in the urban center to later phases of

6900-516: The rail line was likely to uncover historic human remains, notably in its downtown Honolulu section. The Oʻahu Island Burial Council (part of the State Historic Preservation Division, within the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources) refused to sign a programmatic agreement on October 21, 2009, over concerns about likely burial sites located along the line's proposed route over Halekauwila Street in Kakaʻako . Three construction projects in

6992-468: The rail route, which may have cost up to $ 4 million. The second sought the minutes from all board of directors meetings from 2011 through 2018, including the board-members’ private discussions in executive sessions. In September 2019, the FTA accepted the recovery plan. An estimate released in November 2020 put the total cost of the project's construction and financing at $ 11 billion, and pushed back its expected completion date to 2033, with delays due to

7084-414: The region's TheBus service). The almost entirely elevated line is the first large-scale, publicly run metro in the United States to feature platform screen doors and driverless trains . In 2023, the line had a monthly ridership of , or about 3,100 per day as of the third quarter of 2024. Plans for a mass transit line to connect Honolulu's urban center with outlying areas began in the 1960s, but funding

7176-466: The shortfall. The bill also grants the state government oversight over the project including the appointment of two non-voting representatives on the HART board and calls for an audit of HART by the state auditor. It was signed into law by the governor on September 5. In mid 2016, the FTA requested that HART develop a "recovery plan" by August 7, 2016. Also, in June, a separate report by Jacobs Engineering,

7268-535: The state's Director of Consumer Affairs under Gov. Paul Cellucci . From 1999 to 2002, Grabauskas served as Massachusetts' Registrar of Motor Vehicles. At the time of his appointment, the agency was described by the Boston Globe as "plagued with long lines and charges of mismanagement" and was considered a political liability after series of articles in the Lawrence Eagle-Tribune detailed

7360-497: The state's existing transportation network with these funds dedicated to bridge repair, highway reconstruction, de-bottlenecking, intersection and interchange modernization and ensuring a transit system that is in a state of good repair. The plan also included limited transit expansions, prioritizing projects that earn federal dollars, win community support and encourage local contribution. In 2005, Grabauskas resigned his position as Transportation Secretary to become General Manager of

7452-466: The stated goal of finishing rail. However, Republican Djou ran on drastically cutting spending on rail by cutting funding on buying cars on the rail before its completion and hiring mainland consultants. Caldwell also stated that spending on rail should be cut, but instead by shortening the rail to end at Middle Street. Carlisle was the only candidate in support of funding the full rail system and stated that rail has gone too far to be stopped. Caldwell won

7544-474: The system, as part of its audit of HART. As of January 2018 the FTA has not formally accepted the new recovery plan but has asked HART for more details including how it came up with its tax-revenue forecasts. In February 2019, the FTA served HART with two subpoenas. The first asked the agency to send investigators documents relating to its real estate acquisition program. HART said some of the documents show it overspent on relocating residents and businesses along

7636-491: The tax surcharges were extended in 2016 by five years to raise another $ 1.2 billion; however that additional funding was only sufficient for construction out to Middle Street in Kalihi . The FTA stated that its contribution is contingent to completion of the line all the way to Ala Moana Center, and will not be increased. After much wrangling, the state legislature in 2017 approved $ 2.4 billion in additional taxes to allow

7728-575: The territorial limits of the Authority. After a rash of indecent sexual assaults on the Green Line in 2007 and 2008, detectives from the Criminal investigations Section began riding Green Line trains in plain clothes. Female detectives posed as patrons and had success in catching sex offenders in the act. As of August 5, 2006, the local media reported the MBTA Police could merge with

7820-469: The time the survey in the Kakaʻako area is performed, which in turn increases the likelihood that any remains discovered will be moved instead of being allowed to remain in situ . In response to the Burial Council's concerns, the city agreed to begin conducting an archaeological survey of the area in 2010, two years earlier than originally planned. The state Department of Land and Natural Resources later signed

7912-489: The track crossings, or "frogs". It was later determined that the trains' wheel flanges were approximately one-half inch (13 mm) narrower at the frogs, thus affecting the driverless trains' ability to safely navigate certain track crossings at the speeds needed to operate on schedule. During investigation, subpar welding and sandblasting-induced cracks were also discovered. In November 2021, Roger Morton, director of Honolulu's Department of Transportation Services, stated that

8004-634: Was born in Worcester, Massachusetts . He is the eldest of four children (sisters Lisa, Karen, and brother David). His father, Drasutis Antanas "Tony" Grabauskas, was a native of Lithuania who emigrated to the United States with his parents in 1949 and died in 2010. His mother, Patricia (Sheehan) Grabauskas-Caruso, is a native of Milbury, Massachusetts . Grabauskas grew up in the Central Massachusetts towns of Sutton and Auburn . He attended St. John's High School , received his BA from

8096-521: Was engineered by Governor Deval Patrick and Transportation Secretary James Aloisi , was criticized by the state Republican Party , who believed that the Republican-appointed Grabauskas was being used as a scapegoat. It was also criticized by Democrats Thomas Menino and Steven Baddour , with the latter describing it as "trying to settle a political score at taxpayers' expense". After his departure, Grabauskas served as

8188-421: Was hired on a three-year contract as the first Executive Director/CEO of HART. In 2014 HART CEO Dan Grabauskas blamed lawsuits, launched in 2011, for some of the cost overruns after bids to construct the first nine stations exceeded the budget by $ 100 million. His claims were disputed by the plaintiffs in one of the cases, who said HART could have put the stations out to tender and that HART had deliberately delayed

8280-400: Was not approved until 2005. Debate over the development of a rail system in Honolulu has been a major point of contention in local politics, especially leading into the 2008, 2012 , and 2016 mayoral elections. Controversy over the rail line was the dominant issue for local politics in the late 2000s, and culminated in a city charter amendment which left the final decision to a direct vote of

8372-467: Was not intended to have a direct legal effect on the city's ability to continue the project, but was meant as a means for Oahu residents to express their opinions on its construction. The charter amendment was approved with 53% of votes cast in favor of rail and 47% against. Majorities of voters in Leeward and Central Oahu, the areas that will be served by the project, voted in favor of the amendment, while

8464-555: Was placed and a launching gantry was used to bridge the span between adjacent piers; a deck-mounted crane lifted the precast segments onto the gantry, which supported them while they were tensioned together. In total, 430 of the 438 spans in Phase 1 were assembled using precast box girder segments, at an average rate of 1 to 2 days per span. For the eight long spans required to bridge the H-1 / H-2 Waiawa interchange in Pearl City,

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