6 Sep 2017

Honolulu rail costs likely to cost US$10b plus

4:49 pm on 6 September 2017

The cost of Honolulu's rail project is likely to exceed US$10 billion dollars.

Honolulu, capital of US state of Hawaii.

Honolulu, capital of US state of Hawaii. Photo: Cain Nunns

Lawmakers in the US state of Hawaii have agreed on how best to fund a projected US$3 billion dollar shortfall to complete the construction of the cash strapped project.

Chad Blair of the Honolulu Civil Beat news service on Oahu says the system was initially budgeted at US$5 billion, but it's now expected to cost double that.

"My guess is that figure will climb. It doesn't currently include operations and maintenance. It is only for the construction - getting the project set up and finishing all the work. It does not include how to pay for operations or how to keep things running in the future."

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