40
votes
The newest subway system in the United States is open: Honolulu, HI
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- Title
- The Newest Subway System in America is NOW OPEN!
- Authors
- RMTransit
- Duration
- 10:31
- Published
- Jun 30 2023
RMTransit's new video takes a look at Honolulu's new "Skyline" metro, an elevated subway line traveling east-west near O'ahu's southern coast in and around the capital. Phrase 1 of the project, which was drafted in 2006 and began construction in 2012, links East Kapolei with Aloha Stadium. Watch a timelapse of the route here.
The metro is fully automated thanks to modern technological advancements. Its newly built stations feature mid-height platform gates (a variation of a full-height platform screen door), which Reese notes is the first large-scale deployment of the technology anywhere in North America.
Phase 2 of the Skyline will open in 2025, connecting to Pearl Harbor, the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, and Middle Street. Phase 3 will open in 2031 and will finally extend to the urban downtown.
It's disappointing that a major metro line was built in the suburbs before being built in the downtown—a questionable and counterproductive operational (political?) decision from American city planners as usual. However, this is an interesting piece of infrastructure and I hope to see more of it in Hawai'i.
I’ve been appreciating the transit updates by the way, it’s the kind of the collective good news where the scale of transit upgrades ongoing is not easily appreciated!
I'm glad you're enjoying them :)
It's so easy for people to forget about long-term iterative infrastructure projects. They're easily drowned out by more sensational topics, even though they have a (usually bigger) direct impact on our lives.
I decided to start posting this stuff because I wanted to remind our community of all the good things that are happening within, around, and between our cities that make life better and more sustainable. And I want there to be more awareness of and support for public works projects in general. There's only so much one person can do, but I think folks here are the type to take this kind of stuff seriously!
I saw "subway" and Honolulu and was really interested in how they handled the excavation, given the terrain there. A little disappointed.
Still, I'm really glad that Hawaii is getting more good public transportation. When my mom lived there a car was far too important for how poor the driving experience was.
Indeed, the project is better described as a surway if anything, or an elevated metro. Misleading names annoy me.
supway?
I love this and we should be excited.
For it being an emerging transit system in the USA, this is a good sign for the potential support for improving transit systems around the mainland. It will be better for the environment, save passengers money, and may I be so bold to suggest that it will decrease vehicle-related crimes such as speeding, drunk driving, and human-trafficking while improving safety for police and saving human lives lost to road accidents.
It is important to note here that Hawaii has a native culture around not building roads and tunnels into the land, as these are seen as sacred. It is equatable to the sacred lands of the first people of the mainland (that is, the North American continent portion of the USA). It's a completely valid argument in of itself, but hopefully this gives you some context as to its relevancy in this scenario.
From the outside looking in, this transit system appears to satisfy both the growing need for public transportation and infrastructure while respecting Native Hawaii.
I would be interested to read how it doesn't, if such an argument exists.
Thanks for sharing. In a similar vein, I had the chance to visit Iceland about 10 years ago and I remember having conversations with many of the locals who felt the same way about nature. They didn't want to disturb the elves in the volcanic rock fields, or the mountains themselves, so they built around them wherever possible and kept unnecessary infrastructure to a minimum. :)
I'm not from Hawai'i, but I know there was a lot of protest over Interstate H-3 in the '80s because the federal government basically ignored their own environmental regulations. From my outside (and very distant) perspective, the Skyline does a good job avoiding particularly disturbing routes and construction methods. Much of the route follows existing arterial road networks (hence the elevation) rather than demolishing native wildlife habitats. The Wikipedia page describes some controversies early on, but after some back and forth, the state government seems to have taken extra precautions in terms of archaeological and environmental studies.
In any case, the efficiency and long-term environmental sustainability of public transportation is a huge win with this project. Transit-oriented infrastructure and development that frees people from owning vehicles is aligned with land use patterns that reduce urban sprawl and preserve the natural world. More cars = less nature; but more trains = fewer cars. I see why there had to be a lot of conversations about routing and planning early on, though the long-term benefits of encouraging less car dependency seem really amazing.
I grew up in Honolulu and this rail project has been such a controversial development for so long. I’m super excited about it and really look forward to it expanding across more of Oahu. Even though it has had a ton of problems while building, it’s so needed with how dense and crowded Honolulu is.