The Skyline experience!
by Robert Yang | July 22, 2023
I had a gleeful smile looking through the window of Skyline as it zoomed over the H-1 freeway during rush hour traffic. An estimated 11-mile trip from East Kapolei’s Kualakai Station to Aloha Stadium’s Halawa Station completed in just 22 minutes. During the ride, I felt relieved not being stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic, where I may be constantly braking and accelerating every few minutes and having anxiety that someone might rear-end you or I may be the one causing a fender bender.
The first segment of Honolulu’s newest rail transit system Skyline finally opened on June 30, 2023 at 2 p.m. Oahu has waited 12 years for Skyline to be operational so when the gates finally opened to the public, everyone showed up. It was free during the July 4th weekend as long as you had a HOLO card. The current route doesn’t follow my usual workday commute, so I took the opportunity to do it on opening day. It was free and I didn’t want to wait.
My Skyline journey began in East Kapolei at Kualakai Station. As I walked towards the station, I could see groups of families entering the station. You need a HOLO card to ride Skyline. If you don’t have one, you can purchase one at the HOLO card reload kiosk for $5 ($2 for the card, $3 for the ride fee). I tapped my card and made my way down the concourse. Because East Kapolei is the last station, it didn’t matter which stairway I took to the loading platform because both trains on either side of the tracks would be heading East towards Aloha Stadium.
The interval between each train arrival was approximately 10 minutes. The common courtesy is to let passengers exit the train cars first before boarding. Each train car is about the size of a bus and there are four of them per train. Because it was opening day, the entire train was packed; every seat was filled and people were standing shoulder-to-shoulder. The ride was a little bumpier than I would have preferred. It felt like a fast Pearlridge Monorail ride. For safety, I recommend holding the handles when you are standing.
After walking through each train car, I noted some features of Skyline. There are luggage racks for storing your luggage, but it seems to be designed for carry-ons, not check-ins. There are also racks for parking your bicycle and surfboard. The entire system is autonomous so if you walk to each end of the train, you’ll notice an observation window instead of a conductor room. If an emergency occurs during your ride, look for the emergency button. An attendant will meet you at the next station to help. If you’re not planning to nap, make sure you look out the windows and enjoy the beautiful view of Oahu from above!
Here’s a fun fact: The trains are parked at Halaulani Station at Leeward Community College for maintenance.
If I lived on the west side and when the Skyline stops at the airport, I would definitely take it to and from the airport when I travel. It’s cheaper than Uber and more convenient than trying to call a family member or friend for a ride. Now that Skyline is finally open, will you be hopping on?
Robert Yang is a digital communications and social media specialist at Hawaiian Electric Company.
