The second segment of the Skyline rail, 5.2 miles of guideway that runs from Aloha Stadium to the Middle Street Transit Center, is set to open to the public next week, bringing passengers closer to the places they live and work.
Members of the media got a sneak peek of the new leg Thursday, a ride that stopped at each of the four new stations along the route: Makalapa (Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam), Lelepaua (Daniel K. Inouye International Airport), Āhua (Lagoon Drive) and Kahauiki (Middle Street Transit Center).
Art at the Makalapa, or the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Skyline rail station. (Stephanie Salmons | Aloha State Daily) 
There are four new stations along the new segment: Makalapa (Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam), Lelepaua (the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport), Āhua (Lagoon Drive) and Kahauiki (Middle Street Transit Center). A view from the Lelepaua station is pictured here. (Stephanie Salmons | Aloha State Daily) 
The Lelepaua, or Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, Skyline rail station. (Stephanie Salmons | Aloha State Daily) 
A plane flies over the Āhua, or Lagoon Drive, Skyline rail station. (Stephanie Salmons | Aloha State Daily) 
The inside of a rail car is pictured here. (Kady Pascual | Aloha State Daily) 
The Makalapa, or Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Skyline rail station. (Kady Pascual | Aloha State Daily)
An opening ceremony is set for 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 15, at the Kalihi Transit Center followed by the grand opening at 4 a.m. the next day.
The first segment of the rail opened in June 2023 and spans just under 11 miles from East Kapolei to Aloha Stadium. This section includes the rail's first nine stations: Kaualakaʻi (East Kapolei), Keoneʻae (University of Hawai‘i-West Oʻahu), Honouliuli (Hoʻopili), Hōʻaeʻae (West Loch), Pouhala (Waipahu Transit Center), Hālaulani (Leeward Community College), Waiawa (Pearl Highlands), Kalauao (Pearlridge), and Hālawa (Aloha Stadium).
Scott Humber, communication director for the City and County of Honolulu, told Aloha State Daily on Thursday that ridership on Skyline's first segment currently averages about 3,500 a day.
But segment two will "take people where they want to go, to the biggest employment centers: Pearl Harbor and the airport," he says. "The goal for this segment is 25,000 a day. That is the goal. That is the goal that Mayor [Rick Blangiardi] has been talking about. I don't anticipate it happening right away, but that is the goal for us — 25,000 [rides] per day on this portion once it gets up and running."
When segment two opens, the rail project will be 83% complete.
According to Honolulu's Department of Transportation Services, Skyline will operate segment two from 4 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. everyday. Trains arrive every 10 minutes until 8:30 p.m. and every 15 minutes between 8:30 and 10:30 p.m.
Segment one operates from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends and city holidays.
Find the full Skyline schedule here.
HART, or the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation, the public transit authority responsible for planning and building the rail system for the City and County of Honolulu, broke ground in August on the next phase of the project, the city center guideway and stations.
The CCGS project includes the construction of nearly three miles of elevated guideway and six rail stations, starting near Kahauiki, or the Middle Street Transit Center station, and ending at the the Civic Center station, just east of the intersection of Halekauwila and South streets, ASD previously reported. Construction is expected to be finished by 2030.
HART awarded a $1.66 billion contract for the design and construction of the CCGS project to Tutor Perini Corp. in August 2024.
All told, Skyline will feature 19 stations along an 18.9-mile corridor.
Stephanie Salmons can be reached at stephanie@alohastatedaily.com.
