City awards first rail contract - Hawaii News

I wish Honolulu the best on the rail. Only speaking from a 4 time tourist on Oahu, Oahu is a small island...25 miles wide and 30 miles long...and full of concret and buildings. I just can't figure out what possible good the rail system will do other than take more businesses and land. We think Oahu has a great transportation system. Maybe the Oahu government should go to Molokai or Kauai to see how a tropical island is. We always base in Oahu as hotels are cheap, Mailie Sky Court, but Oahu is the last place we would move to. TOO many people, traffic, etc. IN FACT...Oahu should make their TOP PRIORITY...restoring the beaches around Waikiki and Kuhio. We look at current pictures are are appalled, the beaches are almost gone. THATS WHAT TOURIST COME FOR. A tropical island with beautiful beaches. A huge Aloha rom Northeast PA.

Why Not. Honolulu is already Destroyed by all the trash and grafitti. I call it "Trash City". Destroy it some more.

Hey terrific, I thought they had to have an approved EIS to begin work. Kind of strange that a company could bid on a project not knowing if it can be built as designed or even STARTED on time. What if the EIS is challenged and tied up for years? Guess Mufi needed some extra support for his bid to be governor.

Would it not ALSO be prudent to actually secure the 1.4 BILLION from Uncle Sam before doing ANYTHING? It most certainly is not a done deal.

The Muffman has to pay off his cronies and the people of Hawaii get the bill. What a MORON.....

Cali Boy wrote:

Why Not. Honolulu is already Destroyed by all the trash and grafitti. I call it "Trash City". Destroy it some more.

"Cail Boy"..Had no idea Honolulu is that bad. Its been 10 years since we have been there. The gevernment just has to face facts, Oahu is on the way out as a tourist destination. They just REFUSE to face facts why tourists are not coming in large numbers, I think people are not using credit cards anymore, YES, Hawaii will still have tourists, but, not in the numbers as in the last years. Plus, some of the programs on TV say what you re saying. Especially, I can't think of it, the Dog bailing out criminals in Honolulu. I will say, we have always had a wonderful time visiting 5 islands. Just another comment, a large portion of criminals coming to Oahu are coming from the mainland. WHY NOT SEND THEM BACK WHERE THEY CAME FROM? A huge Aloha from Northeast PA.

willie wrote:

Hey terrific, I thought they had to have an approved EIS to begin work. Kind of strange that a company could bid on a project not knowing if it can be built as designed or even STARTED on time. What if the EIS is challenged and tied up for years? Guess Mufi needed some extra support for his bid to be governor.
Would it not ALSO be prudent to actually secure the 1.4 BILLION from Uncle Sam before doing ANYTHING? It most certainly is not a done deal.

"willie" good points. It probably can't be stopped now that it has been approved. THE ONLY THING I CAN SEE TO DO IS THE CITIZENS OF OAHU HAVE TO RISE UP IN HUGE NUMBERS. Don't know...does Hawaii havea recall system for government people? Aloha.

According to Neil Abercrombie`s newsletter, Oahu has gotten $43 million for the rail. Mufi better pray more is on the way.

glenn paul wrote:

<quoted text> It probably can't be stopped now that it has been approved.

Yeah that is what the Super Ferry folks thought too.

I guess the actual bid does not matter, there will no doubt be a lot of cost overruns as their always are...good plan to just low ball the bid then say oooopps about halfway through building it.

willie wrote:

<quoted text>
Yeah that is what the Super Ferry folks thought too.
I guess the actual bid does not matter, there will no doubt be a lot of cost overruns as their always are...good plan to just low ball the bid then say oooopps about halfway through building it.

"willie" good point. I still can't figure out what was wrong with the supper ferry. Made many comments on it. That was a huge tourist and local boom. We took a super ferry across Lake Ontario 20 years ago. Willie, there's only one answer, citizens have to rise up in huge numbers. Aloha from Northeast PA.

This is a major economic stimulus. We cannot afford not to do this," Hannemann said.
More like you can't afford it.All of the kids can watch on furlough friday's.

MoFee is dumb, dumb, dumb

Remember the "Bridge to No Where" in Alaska, well this could be the "Tracks to No Where."

that thing looks stupid

I well never support Mufis real system it sucks and as for you running for gov you'll never get my familys vote never in my life time LDS member or not

The only things wrong with the artists drawing is:

Too many people waiting for the train (unless he depicted the homeless hanging around to look for handouts but I don't see any shopping carts)

No grafitti anywhere plus it is way to clean looking.

Looks like another day of naysayer posts.

Contract listed is $483 mil.$90 mil less that original estimate. So that should have been $573 mil. 15% less. So far, no cost overrun.

Kiewit Pacific, while a mainland based company, has been a fixture in the islands for decades. There is a local office with local jobs.

Djou, penny wise pound foolish? So let's award the contract when it will cost $90 million more? The man needs to pick a position and stand by it. Stop trying to straddle the fence. Approval or disapproval of the EIS will come end of this month so we're good.

I just returned from Vancouver where the rail first opened in 1986 has been so succesful they have built 3 more extensions. Like Honolulu Vancouver was facing gridlock, the rail has changed everything, people talk about meeting each other based around the train and its connecting bus service.

The economy in Vancouver is also off but not stalled like Honolulu due primarily to this public works program that is feeding off of it.

Cliff Slater has his head up his okole, he ran a company that has devastated our coral reefs for pure profit, not a community leaders activity, he has a sort of British accent that you would tend to believe he knows how London and the European cities have created major commuting systems based on rail, but he continues to fight the community based on pure ignorance and arrogance.

Keep up the good work Mufi, it is easy at this time to be a naysayer but you will be remembered as a trailblazing visionary who broke through the adversity in years to come, as were the men who created the London Tube Train in the late 1800's.

What the naysayers never point out is the train will be a major step in creating a green-train, we are getting closer by the minute in being able to provide Solar Electric to this project that will help the world rid itself of the oil based pollution. There is no alternative to moving the masses cost effectively and greener than the train.

His majesty wants to build the Kapolei part of the route so that developers of the proposed new tract housing and strip malls out there will be able to say, "We don't need to prove that there will be adequate roadways and smooth flowing traffic, because the people who live out here will be able to take rail."

Mufi Monku's rail? Elevated, noisy, outrageously expensive -- and will be bringing in specially trained rail workers from OTHER places to construct it. Oahu is being taken for a ride.

THIS IS SO WRONG...this is a HUGE FOLLY. It is CRIMINAL...absolutely CRIMINAL BEYOND ALL BELIEF to build something like this now.

I keep telling you not to worry about the costs. The property owners will pick up the tab. Just like the bay area.