Oxford has added a new word to its English dictionary: hammajang, which means something is “all messed up.” The word comes from Hawaiian pidgin, which is appropriate considering how messed up Honolulu’s rail project has become. Originally expected to open this year at a cost of less than $3 billion, the current projected cost is more than $9 billion and, since they don’t have funds to complete it, it probably won’t open until 2026 at the earliest.
The latest news is that the FTA has subpoenaed the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transit (HART) for inside documents to find out what is going on. Meanwhile, HART wants to form a public-private partnership to build the last four miles. The private partner would raise the funds for construction and, when it is completed, would operate the entire 20-mile rail line. In exchange, the city would pay the private partner hundreds of millions of dollars a year for 30 years.
No one thinks the private partner will be able to save taxpayers any money or operate the trains more efficiently than HART itself. Instead, this scheme will save HART from having to raise the funds to finish the line itself. The city can’t afford it; the state can’t afford it; the feds won’t pay any more than they have already promised. So get a private partner to borrow the money — a debt that won’t appear on HART’s books — and simply repay the private partner out of future tax revenues. Continue reading
