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Now that rail is heading our way, it is time to learn about the daily “Reality of Rail.” Here are 10 questions about rail that have had very little discussion.

Question #1: After 11 years of paying the additional rail GET, how much has each person and family on Oahu paid?

Background: We see the rail GET tax at the sales counter on our bills. What we do not see is the increased cost of each product because of the buried GET cost that is “baked-in” to each product.

Question #2: How much will our property taxes need to go up to pay for the annual operating costs of rail?

Background: Now that our mayor has lost his bid to have the rail GET extension made permanent, how will we pay for the annual operating and maintenance of rail?  The agreed upon costs, per year, are around $80 million.

Question #3: When rail starts, which bus routes will be shortened to force those riders to transfer to rail?

Background: From the very beginning, city engineers planned to replace cross island buses with rail. There is list of which buses could be affected in the Final Environmental Impact Statement.

Question #4: For each rail column location that has been changed from the Archeology Inventory Survey locations, has there been an additional AIS done on those new column sites?

Background: The Archaeology Inventory Survey looked at specific sites in downtown Honolulu based on the rail Preliminary Engineering studies. Now that HART has paid for Final Design Engineering for downtown Honolulu, how many column placement locations have been changed from the preliminary studies?

Question #5: When rail is running and there is a mechanical breakdown or electrical interruption one morning with 5,000 commuters onboard and the system stops, how will these 5,000 commuters get to work? What is the emergency plan?

Background: There has been no discussion of how to handle mechanical problems once rail is running.

Question #6: What will rail sound like when it accelerates or decelerates as it enters and leaves each station? Which is louder, our city buses or rail?

Background: The motors that propel rail are different from the diesel engines that power our buses in Honolulu.

Question #7: After the first crime on rail or at a rail station, how will the city pay for additional security personnel?

Background: Rail systems on the mainland have programs to deal with crime on and around rail stations. On our rail, there are no security personnel on the trains or at each station platform.

Question #8: What is the true average speed of rail during rush hour? 20 miles in 42 minutes is 28 to 29 mph. Will rail actually run more slowly during rush hour?

�������첵���dzܲԻ�:�� The existing heavy rail systems on the mainland have average speeds less than 30 mph. The true average speed affects decisions to ride rail.

Question #9: How much will bus/rail fares need to go up to pay for the additional annual costs caused by rail?

�������첵���dzܲԻ�:��The city has a rule that transit commuters should pay about 30 percent of the cost. The rail planners discussed this and estimated how much rail would increase all bus fares.

Question #10: Will rail, with our population and our travel patterns, be “green” compared to our cars?

Background: Traditionally rail is not very “green” unless the system is in a very large metropolitan area and commuters ride rail in both directions during rush hour. In small populations, moving one person one mile takes less energy in a car than on heavy rail.

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