🌇 Skyline Don Land! Honolulu Rail System Officially Get Name 🚆🌴
Dem don finally yan di name wey go follow Honolulu rail system wey dey open di first segment for West Oahu by di end of June. Dem decide say di name go be “Skyline” 🌇.
Di city officials talk say dem dey hope say di name go bring new beginning for di project wey don chop almost $10 billion. Di project don take pass four mayoral administrations, e don tay sote e late and over budget. Di original plan no be say e go reach Ala Moana Shopping Center or di University of Hawaii at Manoa.
According to di Deputy Director of di city’s Department of Transportation Services, Jon Nouchi, dem never give di rail line any official name before.
“Naim Federal Transit Administration talk say e go be ‘Honolulu High-Capacity Transit Corridor Project,’ but I believe say everybody just dey call am rail,” Nouchi yan, during one press conference at Honolulu Hale on Friday morning.
E talk say dem spend five years to find dis name wey dem call Skyline 🌇. Dem yan say dem get plenty names wey dem bin consider for di system and dem bin take feedback from plenty focus groups. Dem sef yan say dem consult di Native Hawaiian community.
Dem even look at di names of other rail systems wey dey for America like BART for San Francisco, DART for Dallas, and Metro for Washington, D.C. Dem try some names wey dey our own country like TheTrain, Hoku, Moku, Kui, Ola, and Ilima, but dem throway dem later.
Dem no even fit consider to use di name Rail or even TheRail, because e get too much bad belle around di name, as e dey always carry wahala for news and people mind. But e no be so for di name Skyline 🌇.
“Skyline,” Nouchi add, “di name just sweet and e make sense for us.”
Dem go use di brand of Skyline to show di image of Honolulu’s official bird — di manu-o-Ku, or white fairy tern — for di rail system. Dem go put di image of dis bird wey dem bin think say e don go finish for di HOLO card wey people go use to enter Skyline.
Meanwhile, Honolulu dey prepare to launch di first 11-mile phase of di rail line from East Kapolei to Aloha Stadium. Dem go start passenger operations for dis phase by 2 p.m. on June 30. Dem go get big opening celebration for di Halawa rail station with plenty big people and entertainment.
According to di Director of Rapid Transit for di Department of Transportation Services, Patrick Preusser, dem don test di safety and reliability of di rail system wey dey use all-electric, driverless trains.
Preusser talk say, “We don test am well-well. We don do trial operations phase and we don show say di system dey work. Now we dey ready to start business.”
Di city dey expect about 8,000 to 10,000 people to ride di rail per day by di end of di year. Dem talk say e go increase as dem complete di remaining two segments.
Di second segment wey go reach from Aloha Stadium, pass airport, go Middle Street, go get about 25,000 riders per day. Di last segment wey go reach from Middle Street to Civic Center area, go get about 85,000 riders per day.
Dem neva confirm how much money dem go make from di rail yet, but dem talk say dem go use some of di money wey dem make from di riders to take maintain di rail.
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NOW IN ENGLISH
🌇 The Honolulu Rail System Has Finally Been Named! 🚆🌴
The officials have finally announced the name for the Honolulu rail system, which will open its first segment in West Oahu by the end of June. They have chosen the name “Skyline” 🌇.
City officials express hope that this name will mark a fresh start for the project, which has incurred nearly $10 billion in costs. The project has spanned four mayoral administrations and has faced delays and budget overruns. The original plan did not extend to Ala Moana Shopping Center or the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
According to Jon Nouchi, the Deputy Director of the city’s Department of Transportation Services, the rail line had not been officially named before.
“The Federal Transit Administration referred to it as the ‘Honolulu High-Capacity Transit Corridor Project,’ but I believe everyone just called it the rail,” Nouchi said during a press conference at Honolulu Hale on Friday morning.
They spent five years searching for the name “Skyline” 🌇. They considered numerous names for the system and gathered feedback from focus groups. They also consulted the Native Hawaiian community.
They even examined the names of other rail systems in the United States, such as BART in San Francisco, DART in Dallas, and Metro in Washington, D.C. They explored names of their own like TheTrain, Hoku, Moku, Kui, Ola, and Ilima, but ultimately discarded them.
Using the name Rail or TheRail was not an option due to the negative associations and controversies surrounding them. However, Skyline 🌇 was different.
“Skyline,” Nouchi added, “the name simply resonates with us.”
The Skyline brand will incorporate the image of Honolulu’s official bird—the manu-o-Ku, or white fairy tern—within the rail system. This bird’s image is expected to appear on the HOLO cards used for accessing the Skyline.
Meanwhile, preparations are underway in Honolulu to launch the first 11-mile phase of the rail line, stretching from East Kapolei to Aloha Stadium. Passenger operations for this phase will commence at 2 p.m. on June 30. A grand opening celebration will be held at the Halawa rail station, featuring prominent figures and entertainment.
Patrick Preusser, the Director of Rapid Transit for the Department of Transportation Services, confirms the safety and reliability testing of the all-electric, driverless trains used in the rail system.
“We have thoroughly tested it. We have completed the trial operations phase and have demonstrated that the system works. Now, we are ready to commence operations,” Preusser stated.
The city anticipates that approximately 8,000 to 10,000 people will ride the rail per day by the end of the year. They expect ridership to increase as the remaining two segments are completed.
The second segment, extending from Aloha Stadium, passing the airport, to Middle Street, is projected to have around 25,000 riders per day. The final segment, reaching from Middle Street to the Civic Center area, is expected to serve approximately 85,000 riders per day.
While the revenue from the rail has not been confirmed yet, it is stated that some of the funds generated from ridership will be allocated for maintenance of the rail system.
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