Mayor Caldwell statement on delivery of new rail financial plan to FTA

News Release from City and County of Honolulu, September 18, 2017

Honolulu - Mayor Kirk Caldwell issued the following statement after HART submitted a new financial plan for the rail project on September 15 to the Federal Transit Administration: 

“Now that the Hawai‘i state Legislature, Gov. David Ige, Honolulu City Council leadership and HART have done necessary legwork to complete the rail project all the way to Ala Moana with a new financial plan delivered to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), it’s time for us to refocus on what this project will mean to the future of O‘ahu residents.

There is no alternative on the horizon that will provide transportation equity to the tens of thousands of families who will use rail every day to get into town quickly and easily, without giving up a large portion of their lives.

Doing nothing is unacceptable, and although construction of the rail project has been a challenge, it will provide opportunities for affordable housing and transit-oriented development that would not exist without it.

I urge the HART Board and new HART Executive Director Andrew Robbins to closely manage the financial plan submitted to the FTA on September 15 and to adhere to the construction timetable for this fully automated rail system.”   

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PDF: Click here to view HART’s submitted rail recovery plan.