A $1.66 billion contract has been awarded for the next phase of a rapid transit system in Hawaii.
Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) awarded the contract to construciton firm Tutor Perini for the design and construction of six rail stations, along with approximately three miles of elevated rail guideway.
HART is the public transit authority responsible for the planning and construction of the Honolulu rail transit system for the City and County of Honolulu. The rail system, called Skyline, is set to be the first fully automated, driverless urban light metro system in the U.S. and is the largest public infrastructure project in the history of Hawaii, according to HART.
“This is another huge milestone for our rail project,” said HART Executive Director and CEO Lori Kahikina. “This is the largest single contract of the entire project and sets the course for completing the project through downtown Honolulu. We are excited to begin work with Tutor Perini to make this happen.”
HART
Construction for the new segment is slated to begin in the second half of 2025, with a completion date set for 2030.
Newsweek has contacted the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation for comment via email outside of standard working hours.
In June, designs were unveiled for a separate U.S. rail project – the much-awaited California High-Speed Rail line.
The designs were for four of the line’s stations – Merced, Bakersfield, Fresno, and Kings Tulare.
“We are developing an architectural language for the four Central Valley stations, including soaring canopies that draw in fresh air and shield waiting passengers from harsh sunlight. The station design reflects the sustainable ethos of the wider project,” said Stefan Behling, head of studio at Foster + Partners, one of the firms associated with the projects.
Also in California, a $490 million extension of the Bay Area Rapid Transit rail project was announced last month.
Organizers said the new rail line would be the largest single public infrastructure project ever undertaken in Santa Clara County. By 2040, it is projected to carry nearly 55,000 passengers each weekday.
The extension will include a six-mile extension featuring four new stations and five-and-a-half-miles of tunnels, connecting riders in the San Jose area to the rest of the system.
“One-third of upcoming growth in the San Francisco Bay Area is expected to occur in and around San Jose and this extension further into the Silicon Valley will support that growth and continue to connect the region,” said Tom Maguire, Chief Megaprojects Officer at the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority.
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