Council's back on track with steel-steel
By Sean Hao
Advertiser Staff Writer
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Steel wheels on steel rail is back on track as the technology of choice for Honolulu's $3.7 billion elevated commuter line linking East Kapolei to Ala Moana Center.
The City Council's Committee on Transportation and Public Works yesterday voted 4-1 to eliminate rubber-tire and magnetic levitation technology from consideration for the 20-mile transit network. The vote, which followed an eight-hour hearing, reverses a March 19 council decision to continue to evaluate all three technologies.
The council is expected to continue to debate technology options prior to a final vote April 16. However, most committee members yesterday felt the issue has been debated enough.
"I don't think we comply with what we said we were going to do if we throw out (for continued deliberation) three technologies," said council member Todd Apo. "We need to make that decision. I do believe that steel on steel is the best selection for what we are trying to do."
A city-appointed expert panel in February recommended Ho-nolulu stick with reliable, nonproprietary, steel technology. However, some council members wanted to re-evaluate the decision following concern that steel wheels could cause noise problems for neighbors of the elevated commuter rail and possibly hurt property values.
So far vendors from Japan, Europe, Canada and the United States have expressed an interest in bidding on the city's estimated $230 million vehicle-sales contract, which won't be awarded until next year. Six of those companies presented information about the different technologies to council members yesterday. They included steel technology vendors Bombardier Transportation, Alstom Transport and AnsaldoBreda; monorail (rubber technology) vendor Hitachi; magnetic levitation vehicle maker Mitsubishi, Itochu; and rubber-tire vehicle maker Advanced Public Transportation Systems.
According to the presentations:
"It would be clearly imprudent to go with any other technology" than steel, said council member Gary Okino.
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Council member Charles Djou, who voted against the bill, said the council should continue to consider all technology options.
"I think it would be better if we consider all technologies at hand," said Djou, who opposes the project. "I think we would get a more robust number of bids."
Council member Romy Cachola, who is not a voting member of the committee, said the council needs more information about the costs of the different technologies before the next council meeting.
"We don't have that much money," he said. "So it's very important and prudent on our part to allow all the different technologies to come and give us a comparison as to costs and operations and maintenance."
Mayor Mufi Hannemann wants the council to settle the technology issue before the city drafts an environmental impact statement and begins preliminary engineering on the transit project. Hannemann hopes to break ground on the project in 2009, with the first segment starting service between East Kapolei and Waipahu in 2012.
Honolulu could decide to evaluate more than one technology during the environmental impact study. However, that could cause delays, according to the city.
Council member Rod Tam said continued indecision would send the wrong signals to federal authorities, which are expected to provide $900 million to fund the project.
"Do we want to lose that money from the federal government?" he said.
Hannemann yesterday reiterated his support for the technology panel's recommendation that Honolulu select steel technology.
"I continue to be convinced that modern steel technology is the way to go," he said. "Why do we want to dilly-dally and procrastinate? Despite the concern about noise, this is the real deal."
Reach Sean Hao at shao@honoluluadvertiser.com.
