In what was billed as a “State of the Rail” address, Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann recapped the 40-year history of trying to bring rail to fruition for Honolulu commuters. And that history hasn’t always been pretty — from false starts to political missteps to watching federal funds that would have then covered a third of the project’s cost vanish, after the City Council botched a transit vote in 1992.

But beyond the history lesson — and let’s hope we’ve learned from that lesson — the mayor also underscored how far the project has come in just four short years. And he explained in no uncertain terms how high stakes are, using the words of Hawaiçi’s senior U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye: It’s now or never for rail.
It’s true that after decades of studies and years of community meetings, the project is closer than ever to becoming a reality. With the City Council’s approval last week of the programmatic agreement, part of the EIS that deals with how the city plans to handle historical sites and iwi as the project moves ahead, the ball will soon be in the governor’s court.
The good news is that by the time the final EIS finds its way to Gov. Linda Lingle’s desk, a multitude of state and federal agencies — including the military, the National Park Service and state and federal historic preservation offices — would have already signed off on various components of the document. So there should be no surprises. The governor should be able to promptly accept the document, keeping the project’s momentum.
Of course, the EIS warrants a careful review, particularly in our island community steeped in cultural significance. So it’s good to see the city push back its groundbreaking deadline by a month to allow more time for thorough review.
The mayor’s plan to create an advisory council to provide input on Native Hawaiian and cultural issues, to provide guidance early on, also makes sense.
But while the pushed-back timeline provides the state with some breathing room, the economy surely won’t. Now more than ever, Hawaiçi needs the economic boost the rail project can provide. The project is expected to generate more than 10,000 jobs, more than 4,000 of which will come from the struggling construction industry. Transit-oriented development around the rail stations is also sure to inspire public-private partnerships that could generate additional benefits, including affordable housing, community centers and more.
So far, the business community has responded with its show of support.
“When well-designed and operated, rail transit can be a tremendous benefit to the community, both from an economic and quality of life perspective. I’ve lived in cities with rail and used rail transit myself. I found it to be a great advantage to the city, “ said Al Landon, chairman and CEO, Bank of Hawaii, who attended the transit briefing.
Another wise investment is the city’s planned partnership with the University of Hawaiçi’s community colleges to create a curriculum to better prepare our work force for some 400 technical jobs associated with the project, including maintenance, operations and high-technology control systems.
To insist on local jobs is important. To provide people with the training needed to acquire those jobs is ideal.
Finally, the city rightly intends to push for the creation of a Transit Authority to oversee the project and its operation.
But there’s no reason to wait for a charter amendment to get that done. The City Council should work with the administration to hammer out the important details, including how the panel would be appointed. Ensuring authority members are picked based on expertise rather than political patronage is crucial, particularly on a project of this size and scope. We need the best minds on board to ensure taxpayers get the most for their money.
With so much of the groundwork laid, and momentum building, it’s important that all stakeholders work together to make the project the best it can be. And when problems arise, the focus must be on finding sensible solutions.This project is too important to let politics and discord get in the way.