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Saturday, January 27, 2024
Transit: Its growth, decline, and pending demise
By Cliff Slater @ 7:47 PM :: 1230 Views :: Rail

... Cliff Slater’s Tour de Force ....

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Sunday, January 14, 2024
Honolulu’s Skyline rail ridership still paltry, cost now $72 each
By Grassroot Institute @ 6:24 PM :: 1388 Views :: Rail

... Skyline’s average daily ridership since opening in July is 3,100 ....

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Saturday, December 30, 2023
Keeping Honolulu Jammed: 2023 Complete Streets Progress Report
By News Release @ 5:57 PM :: 1104 Views :: Honolulu County, Rail

... In previous decades, City streets were planned and designed primarily for vehicular capacity, not any longer! ....

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Tuesday, November 14, 2023
Felon Watch: Nan buying Grace Pacific from A&B
By Andrew Walden @ 3:41 AM :: 3580 Views :: Ethics, Development, Rail

... convicted felon to gain even more control over Hawaii CIP projects .... 

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Saturday, October 14, 2023
​Is it really a good idea to build a new Aloha Stadium?
By Grassroot Institute @ 4:20 PM :: 2041 Views :: Ethics, Development, Higher Education, Rail, Tourism

... Considering the record of the old Aloha Stadium, there are many questions ....

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Sunday, September 17, 2023
Has HART gone off the rails again?
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 12:00 PM :: 1688 Views :: Ethics, Rail

... Natalie Iwasa, who was appointed by state Speaker of the House Scott Saiki, has been barred from participating in executive sessions ....

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Saturday, August 5, 2023
Honolulu Rail: ‘I hope its future is short’
By Grassroot Institute @ 3:46 PM :: 2854 Views :: Rail

... the highest per-passenger operating cost of any light-rail systems in the nation ....

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Tuesday, August 1, 2023
​Running the rail is costing even more than originally estimated
By Grassroot Institute @ 4:42 AM :: 2731 Views :: Rail

... Ridership on the half-completed rail has been steadily falling, causing the per-passenger taxpayer subsidy to go even higher ....

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Saturday, July 22, 2023
Talk of the town: Rail Operating Cost $54 per passenger
By Grassroot Institute @ 5:25 PM :: 2278 Views :: Hawaii Statistics, Rail

... the highest per-passenger cost among light-rail systems in the nation — by far ....

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Sunday, July 16, 2023
Rail Ridership 21 Times Below Projections
By Selected News Articles @ 5:56 PM :: 3107 Views :: Hawaii Statistics, Rail

... 4,000 is a little short of the number that HART projected it would attract once the system is completed: 84,000 people a day ....

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Thursday, July 13, 2023
Skyline's $54 per passenger operating cost highest in U.S.
By Grassroot Institute @ 6:13 PM :: 3755 Views :: Hawaii Statistics, Rail

... “Taxpayers are already paying an enormous amount to build the project, but now are paying even more to run it nearly empty” ....

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Tuesday, July 11, 2023
Double Nothing is Nothing: City announces updated and corrected ridership numbers for Skyline
By News Release @ 6:06 PM :: 1819 Views :: Hawaii Statistics, Rail

... $13B / 3,666 avg daily riders = $3.5M per rider  We could have bought each rider a house near their job and a Cadillac or two to put in the garage -- and still saved billions ....

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Friday, July 7, 2023
Only 1,245 passengers ride Rail on first day they had to pay
By News Release @ 5:10 AM :: 2120 Views :: Rail

... DO THE MATH: $13B / 1,245 = $10.4M per passenger  -- slightly more than a Bugatti Centodieci ....

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Sunday, June 25, 2023
The politician and the Skyline buzzsaw
By Selected News Articles @ 4:25 AM :: 2975 Views :: Hawaii History, Rail

... a list of political careers derailed by rail ....

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Monday, May 8, 2023
TheBus Routes Changing to Link up with Rail
By News Release @ 2:33 PM :: 2602 Views :: Honolulu County, Rail

... a complete visual map of TheBus and Rail system ....

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Monday, May 1, 2023
Rail: ‘If you build it, make sure you have all your money first’
By Grassroot Institute @ 11:00 AM :: 1993 Views :: Rail

... a new consequence seems to have emerged: The city recently saw its bond rating downgraded ....

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Wednesday, April 12, 2023
Fixing Hawaii’s Transportation System; A Dose of the Private Sector Would Help
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 7:09 AM :: 2220 Views :: Jones Act, Rail, Cost of Living

... how Hawai'i can reduce the costs and the improve service quality of its various mass transportation systems ....

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Friday, April 7, 2023
Moody's Downgrade: Rail Debt Gimmick Comes Back To Bite Honolulu Taxpayers
By News Release @ 4:00 PM :: 3835 Views :: Honolulu County, Rail

... The debt burden has recently been rising due to GOULT bonds issued for construction of the rapid transit system ....

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Saturday, March 25, 2023
HART Seeks 9th Board Member
By News Release @ 4:51 PM :: 1917 Views :: Rail

... the ninth voting member will be selected by the other eight voting members ....

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Saturday, January 28, 2023
Maui Airport Mini-Rail to be Shutdown for Repairs--Replaced by Golf Carts
By News Release @ 2:40 PM :: 1571 Views :: Maui County, Rail

...  A contractor will provide golf carts to take anyone needing assistance between the CONRAC and the airport lobby. ...

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Friday, January 13, 2023
GE Tax: Audit Shows Tourists Pay 14.1%--not 30%
By Andrew Walden @ 5:21 AM :: 11857 Views :: Rail, Taxes, Tourism, Cost of Living

...The lie that tourists pay 30% of the GE Tax is front and center as Gov Green and legislators quickly walk back Green’s fake 2022 campaign promise to eliminate the GE Tax from food and medical care....

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Monday, December 26, 2022
Convicted Meth Dealer Asks Federal Court Permission to Take Over Laborer’s Union
By Andrew Walden @ 10:48 PM :: 6271 Views :: Ethics, Labor, Rail, Drugs

... “If my name sounds familiar it's because my dad was President of the Hawaii AFL-CIO and the Business Manager/ Financial Secretary for the Hawaii Carpenters Union Local 745 for over 20 years.”….

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Wednesday, December 21, 2022
Senate Appropriations Bill: Pork for Rail, Red Hill, Housing
By News Release @ 3:20 PM :: 1893 Views :: Congressional Delegation, Military, Rail

... “We had no idea this was in the works,” said Lori Kahikina, HART’s CEO and executive director ....

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Wednesday, November 30, 2022
Quick Rail Boondoggle Update
By Panos Prevedouros PhD @ 2:37 AM :: 1894 Views :: Rail

... Honolulu rail is not alone ....

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Sunday, August 14, 2022
Honolulu announces free week of fares for TheBus
By News Release @ 4:00 AM :: 1797 Views :: Honolulu County, Education K-12, Rail

... starting August 22 to August 26, 2022. The free fare week is timed with the back-to-school jam ....

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Sunday, August 14, 2022
Plague, Frogs, Fire and Cracks: Eleven Years of HART Excuses
By Andrew Walden @ 12:02 AM :: 3095 Views :: Hawaii History, Rail

... HART excuses are nearly Biblical: Plague, Frogs, Fires, and Cracks -- but the real reason slipped out as COVID shut down Hawaii's tourism industry: “After Wasting Billions to Build Rail, is it worth $160 million a year to operate?” ....

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Friday, July 22, 2022
Ala Moana Satellite City Hall temporarily halts HOLO card service Because they Have too Many Customers
By News Release @ 5:11 AM :: 1965 Views :: Honolulu County, Rail

... Walk-in customers make up the majority of the 5,790 HOLO card transactions processed in the past fiscal year at the Ala Moana Satellite City Hall ....

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Thursday, June 30, 2022
Honolulu Rail: $9.9 Billion to Go Nowhere
By Selected News Articles @ 2:00 AM :: 2513 Views :: Rail, COVID-19

... the state of Hawaii has released a report explaining why the rail project will fail no matter where it goes or how much it costs ....

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Tuesday, June 28, 2022
Time to get real about rail
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 6:33 PM :: 2144 Views :: Rail

... It was sold to the public on the promise that it would only cost about $4 billion, that it would be completed by 2019 and that the general excise tax surcharge associated with it would end by 2022 ....

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Saturday, June 25, 2022
Rail: Feds Urged to be Skeptical of HART 'Recovery Plan'
By Grassroot Institute @ 4:43 AM :: 1855 Views :: Rail

...HART’s new plan appears to contain “overly optimistic assumptions about revenues, ridership and costs, and this could saddle local taxpayers with unstated liabilities in the future.”....

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Tuesday, June 21, 2022
Why Panos Prevedouros Left Hawaii
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 2:47 AM :: 3385 Views :: Higher Education, Rail, Cost of Living

... The former chairman of the University of Hawaii’s civil engineering department says aloha ....

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Monday, June 20, 2022
$119M: Another Extension for Rail Management Contract
By News Release @ 4:47 PM :: 1527 Views :: Rail

... The US$119 million contract is an extension of existing construction and engineering services Stantec is providing to HART and will run through the end of 2026, with the possibility of a 5-year extension to expected project completion in 2031 ....

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Sunday, June 12, 2022
Bill 45: Rail TOD Giveaway to High Tech Tax Credit Schemers
By Selected News Articles @ 3:30 AM :: 2435 Views :: Honolulu County, Development, Rail, Tax Credits

... The vague language in the proposal lacks any metrics for measuring success, similar to another business-focused tax credit whose value to the state is dubious ...

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Saturday, June 4, 2022
Iwasa Rips Rail Recovery Plan: “Errors that no one seems to care about” 
By Natalie Iwasa @ 5:54 PM :: 2298 Views :: Rail, Taxes

... HART's recovery plan was shipped off to the FTA today with revenue projections that I think are too high ....

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Sunday, May 29, 2022
Transit History
By Tom Yamachika @ 6:00 AM :: 1794 Views :: Hawaii History, Rail

... Fat chance of the Feds giving us that much now ....

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Friday, May 20, 2022
Questions persist about viability of Honolulu rail
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 7:05 PM :: 1785 Views :: Rail

... the one thing we can rely on concerning the Honolulu rail project is the long list of unanswered questions ....

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Friday, May 13, 2022
Honolulu Rail: $9.9 Billion to Go Nowhere
By Selected News Articles @ 5:45 PM :: 2851 Views :: Rail

... HART now says it will cost $9.9 billion to not finish its rail project by 2031 ....

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Thursday, May 12, 2022
'Good Questions' still bedevil Honolulu rail
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 5:08 PM :: 1699 Views :: Rail

... Iwasa has valuable insights into the operations of the rail project because she also is a non-voting member of the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation ....

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Sunday, May 1, 2022
Archegos -Theranos - Honolulu Rail: The Price of Lying
By Panos Prevedouros PhD @ 3:14 PM :: 2347 Views :: Ethics, Rail

... What do these three multi billion dollar failures have in common? ....

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Wednesday, March 23, 2022
HART: Recovery Plan Does Not Exist (yet)
By Andrew Walden @ 10:21 PM :: 1868 Views :: Rail

..."We submitted a Recovery Plan to the FTA, proposing to amend the Full Funding Grant Agreement" (not quite) ....

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Tuesday, March 15, 2022
State of the City: Blangiardi Announces Latest Scheme to Get Rail Money Withheld by Feds
By Video @ 7:23 PM :: 3771 Views :: Honolulu County, Homelessness, Rail, COVID-19

"...We submitted a Recovery Plan to the FTA, proposing to amend the Full Funding Grant Agreement to the following scope: 18.75 miles/19 stations through Downtown, to the Civic Center Station, which is 1.25 miles and 2 stations short of Ala Moana Center...."

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Friday, March 11, 2022
Blangiardi meets with FTA to discuss Honolulu Rail Project
By News Release @ 2:14 AM :: 2537 Views :: Rail

... Mayor Blangiardi said, “Even though this was a very quick turn-around trip for me, the time I spent with the Administrator was well worth the trip" ....

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Wednesday, March 2, 2022
Blangiardi Appoints Sheet Metal Union Boss to HART Board
By News Release @ 2:16 AM :: 2665 Views :: Honolulu County, Labor, Rail

"...Art’s management background at Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation (SMART) Workers Local Union 293 and his experience on the Planning Commission make him the perfect candidate...."

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Friday, January 21, 2022
Honolulu Rate Commission seeks input on TheBus, HandiVan fare changes
By News Release @ 5:29 PM :: 2315 Views :: Honolulu County, Rail

... The Honolulu Rate Commission will be taking public testimony on proposed fare policy changes affecting TheBus and TheHandi-Van at its January 24th and February 8th meetings ....

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Tuesday, January 4, 2022
New Ethics Comm Exec Director a Pro-Rail Corporate Lawyer and Lobbyist
By News Release @ 4:19 AM :: 2625 Views :: Environment, Ethics, Rail

... Ethics Commission Chair Melinda Wood stated: “Mr. Harris has the right mix of public policy, litigation, and managerial experience to excel in this role." ....

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Sunday, December 19, 2021
NYT Looks at Honolulu Rail: Why U.S. Infrastructure Is So Expensive
By Selected News Articles @ 3:15 PM :: 3328 Views :: Rail

... Using the Honolulu rail project as an example, the New York Times wants to know why so many infrastructure projects suffer from such large cost overruns ....

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Sunday, December 19, 2021
The New County TAT Earmarks Aren’t the Real Problem
By Tom Yamachika @ 5:00 AM :: 2157 Views :: Rail, Taxes, Tourism

... these debates are meaningless ....

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Wednesday, December 15, 2021
Blangiardi signs bill to recover lost Transient Accommodations Tax revenue and give it to Rail
By News Release @ 1:34 AM :: 2458 Views :: Honolulu County, Rail, Taxes, Tourism

...Translation: The Legislature took the counties' share of the state TAT away but let them impose their own TAT.  I'm giving it to rail -- so, in effect, other city services have been cut to fund rail but -- like a shell game -- with so many moving parts, the public has been deceived....

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Friday, December 3, 2021
Oahu's new 'tourism tax' will affect residents, too
By Grassroot Institute @ 1:19 PM :: 2756 Views :: Rail, Taxes, Tourism

... projected revenues from the tax fall short of what the project needs to cover its budget shortfalls ....

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Wednesday, November 24, 2021
Lost Opportunity: Schatz Secures Extension Of $493 Million Honolulu Rail Funding Grant In Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal
By News Release @ 5:08 AM :: 3127 Views :: Congressional Delegation, Rail

... in yet another failure of leadership, Schatz misses an opportunity to put the rail nightmare behind us ....

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