Partial rides on the rail could begin by the end of the year, but issues linger

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Riders may soon be able to hop on the Honolulu rail for a ride — but it won’t be the full route.

HART’s CEO says a portion of the project could be ready to ride by the end of the year.

The so-called interim opening would be from Kapolei to Aloha Stadium. Within that stretch, the guideway, tracks and stations are already complete.

There are still some issues, however. It’s unclear how long it will take to resolve faulty cross-over tracks, known as frogs, which are forcing the trains to slow down.

HART CEO Lori Kahikina says a third party expert is helping work out the crossover issues, and they are hopeful the trains will be up and running within their projected time frame.

“We are still shooting for the end of the year. If we can get the frog issue situated, I believe the testing commissioning is going to be done, we have a chance of handing it over,” Kahikina said.

In the meantime, the rail authority will continue testing cars and tracks.