All-elevated rail will be costly, inflexible and ugly - Hawaii ...

"It's not too late to fix the problem. If we do not act now, we will saddle ourselves and our children with a future we cannot afford."

The fix is even more simple, dont build it at all.

Jeff Nishi is right, and the railroad will probably end up as a rusting hulk, a monument to stupidity and greed. Why not add more buses so folks won't have to use cars?

Nishi sounds like a guy who sold us the "flexible" and "beautiful" Aloha Stadium.

I like the idea of saving $1.7 billion dollars. With that kind of money, we could buildt to UH at the outset and that should get a considerable number of cars off the road. And that's what this project should be about, not creating a public works project to feed the construction industry.

The solution to Honolulu's transit issue is NOT light rail. Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) is also elevated, but at much LESS cost in terms of not only money (1/5th to 1/10th the expense, or about $30 million/mile), but also with less visual intrusion and a much smaller footprint. Many PRT vehicles on multiple interconnected guideway loops can carry the anticipated ridership (computer models will prove this) with far more flexibility.

PRT can operate 24/7/36 without drivers providing point-to-point non-stop private rides averaging over 30mph. PRT's all electric as well, and emission-free. Any number of "offline" PRT stations can be used on the system with no decrease in throughput.

PRT fosters public/private partnerships as well -- imagine that a hotel or big box retailer can fund their own station, and even their own vehicles for guest use, thus reducing the overall expense of publicly funding the system.

PRT's been long proven on the mainland, and has implementations underway now in England and the middle east. Testing of very sophisticated, computerized systems have been completed with safety approvals obtained in Sweden.

Our firm has tried to explain this to your AIA group, but they've refused to comment on our analysis or even return our phone calls. There's more on PRT at www.prtstrategies.com .

Just cancel the whole project!

I watched the PRT video and have been against the train but I must admit I would like to see this type of rapid transit if it is going to taxed on to us. Quickly expandable cheaper and point to point with out stopping at each station great idea.

Coming back from Korea and Japan, I always wondered why don't we in Hawaii have a good train system? People are always talking about going green, but I think they just say it, don't really believe in it.
Everyone seems to have big trucks with nothing in the bed or even passengers! Oh well, Korea and Japan are different. Plus, it's so cheap to use the train in both Korea and Japan. Plus they have nationalised health care. Wow, the things you realize when you travel abroad.

Jeff Nishi doesn't get it. You know why he already has his and he doesn't sit in traffic.

Kind of also ironic that architect Nishi is concerned visual impact when he as been the designer of some of the ugliest projects on Oahu.

Mr. Nishi why don't you spend 3 hours a day sitting in traffic like I do and see if you are not for a fast reliable system like the one that is going to be built. As Simonetta says Phoenix averages 5 accidents a month and you know what if there is an accident in town then that will shut down the entire line all the way to Kapolei!!! Defeats the whole purpose of having a rail system if you are going to put it in traffic like a car.

To bad the AIA doesn't have a better person representing it.

The posts here prove that the AIA and Kam schools, despite what they say, are anti-rail. Are they going to be this decades Mirikatani and Mansho?

Where do you live Mr. Nishi?

No to rail!

The Real Truth wrote:

Jeff Nishi doesn't get it. You know why he already has his and he doesn't sit in traffic.
Kind of also ironic that architect Nishi is concerned visual impact when he as been the designer of some of the ugliest projects on Oahu.
Mr. Nishi why don't you spend 3 hours a day sitting in traffic like I do and see if you are not for a fast reliable system like the one that is going to be built. As Simonetta says Phoenix averages 5 accidents a month and you know what if there is an accident in town then that will shut down the entire line all the way to Kapolei!!! Defeats the whole purpose of having a rail system if you are going to put it in traffic like a car.
To bad the AIA doesn't have a better person representing it.

The city said the train has limited passenger capacity so the H-1 merges will still be congested with cars.

GO RAIL wrote:

Coming back from Korea and Japan, I always wondered why don't we in Hawaii have a good train system? People are always talking about going green, but I think they just say it, don't really believe in it.
Everyone seems to have big trucks with nothing in the bed or even passengers! Oh well, Korea and Japan are different. Plus, it's so cheap to use the train in both Korea and Japan. Plus they have nationalised health care. Wow, the things you realize when you travel abroad.

Sounds like a perfect place to live, why don't you? Thier rail is already paid for and in case you missed it, Oahu is one heck of a lot smaller than either Korea or Japan. Got any other apples you want to compare to oranges?

Sometimes aesthetics must give way to common sense and I think overhead rail is based on common sense. Just go to Tokyo and look around at all the rails..overhead, underground and ground level.....people survive and get from here to there very efficiently. I don't trust architects too much...remember the softball stadium at the UH which was built where most of the fans couldn't see home plate???? Is the architect part of the association ??

Mufi and the City Council are just a bunch of silly oafs!!!!!!!!

Stop Rail Now!!!!!!!!

Flexible Plan: Saves time, saves money, saves view planes, saves character of neighborhoods.

Mufi Plan: Be inflexible. Screw you.

The Truth wrote:

The posts here prove that the AIA and Kam schools, despite what they say, are anti-rail. Are they going to be this decades Mirikatani and Mansho?

Stop whining and crying about the AIA and Kam schools. Many of these local groups of residents want to improve the current flawed moofee steel on steel "rail to nowhere" plan and reduce the overall cost to all Oahu taxpayers so that the planned future transit extensions can reach the Waikiki, UH Manoa and Ewa Beach residents that were left out of the current $5.5 billion 20-mile rail scam.

The Hawaii AIA & Kam schools are part of the Oahu rail discussion and are not anti-rail, but pro-logical-cost-efficient public transit. I can say the same about myself because I use public transportation and I know the current flawed 20-mile rail plan and the useless guideway route are massive mistakes as well as the bloated $5.5 billion dollar price tag for only a 20-mile all elevated route.
The AIA solutions and option plan can save Oahu taxpayers multi-billions. The Kam plan also could save Oahu taxpayers billions.

If you and Mufi, Yosidoki, and the city council want to continue to ignore potential cost saving solutions, that is your choice. I suggest that you folks not continue to ignore all the other rail transit technology/companies that want to compete in an open and transparent rail bid process that is now blocked and closed off from potentially helpful multi-billion dollar cost saving solutions.

If we don't open up the rail process for ALL transit technology/companies to compete, the current plan will fail and we may get the most expensive per-rail-mile system and not the best route/plan or end product.

Btw- Oahu residents can't afford this multi-billion dollar monstrosity during an economic recession, nor do the Feds have an extra $1.55 billion dollars to just hand over to the flawed moofee rail project any time soon!

"From 2005 through 2007 the AIA was told that it was "too early" to be involved; then, in early 2008 the AIA was told it was "too late" to make any changes.

In 2008 a rail project was approved by voters, but wording on the ballot said nothing about the vertical configuration (elevated, street level or underground) or power technology ("hot" third rail, overhead wire or underground power) to be used.

The City Council HAS NOT voted on the specific vertical configuration or power technology of the system; the city administration (Moofee) made these decisions and THEN notified the City Council afterward."

This is why the city MUST open up the rail process for ALL transit technology/companies to compete or the current flawed rail plan will fail.
What is moofee afraid of? A fair process?