HONOLULU (Hawaii News Now) — The second segment of Skyline will open a week from Thursday with officials promising more convenience and efficiency for commuters across Oahu.
For the first time, long-distance commuters traveling by rail may finally get to work and home faster than they can in their cars, according to city officials.
The expansion adds only five miles and four stations to the Skyline guideway, but city officials have high hopes for what the second segment will bring to the project.
“For me, this is really the ultimate in providing quality of life opportunities, economic-wise, economically, time-wise, it’s just going to lend a whole different dynamic,” said Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi.
New stations offer airport, Pearl Harbor connections
As riders leave the old endpoint at the stadium, the station that serves as the main connector to Pearl Harbor is only a few minutes away. From there, it’s a slow-motion roller-coaster ride over the freeway and into the airport stop, which the city urges potential travelers to check out in advance during the free ride weekend.
“Check out that airport station. Figure out how it connects to the airlines that you use so that when you have a whole bunch of suitcases and kids, you know exactly how to get to and from the station,” said Jonathan Nouchi, city Department of Transportation Services deputy director.
The segment will be available to fare-paying riders with HOLO cards on Thursday, Oct. 16, and Friday, Oct. 17. The free ride days are Saturday, Oct. 18, and Sunday, Oct. 19. Hours are expanding from 4 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. to account for worker and airline flight schedules.
Officials expect commuters will use the free weekend to decide if rail can now work for them.
“This is a great opportunity for our residents. So hop on Skyline and actually do some pre-navigation of the system,” said Nouchi.
Lagoon Drive station could become major hub
The station on Lagoon Drive could be a major hub for commuters. From there, the city says riders will be able to catch a Zoom bus limited-stop route to the University of Hawaii at Manoa or downtown Honolulu, which could be a game changer.
The U line to UH and the A line to downtown will go through Mapunapuna to the freeway. Those routes, along with another limited-stops route to Waikiki, promise a ride from Kapolei to those key destinations in about an hour.
“In an hour. Yeah. It’s that certainty. That is really good,” Blangiardi said.
“That is our hope,” Nouchi said. “With these rapid buses, this A line, U line and W lines we’re putting in, we really want to prioritize speed, efficiency, and frequency,” Nouchi said.
The mayor points out that even if that might not be shorter than average, it will be more predictable, especially going home at night.
“Because anybody who’s living out here on the west side has resigned themselves to the challenges of what H-1 represents, and that is, you never know how long it’s going to take,” Blangiardi said.
More information on Skyline, as well as instructions on combined rail and bus routes and schedules, are available online here.
Copyright 2025 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
