Honolulu’s City Council is moving closer to allowing the city’s rail agency to plan extensions of the Skyline past Ala Moana, including a potential spur to the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Last Wednesday, the Infrastructure, Transportation and Technology Committee advanced an amended version of Bill 60 to the full Council for a final vote. Supporters say the bill preserves future options and protects right-of-way, while critics note it only authorizes study and does not provide funding for construction.
What Bill 60 Would Allow
Under the committee draft, the Honolulu City Council would allow the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation to conduct planning, preliminary engineering, studies, surveys, and environmental work for extensions of the Minimum Operable Segment, with the provision that "The Council approves all extensions to the minimum operable segment that adhere to the locally preferred alternative," according to the Honolulu City Council. Supporters say this early work by HART could remove procedural barriers that have slowed studies of routes beyond Ala Moana.
How Far A Branch Could Go
The amended measure would let HART examine a roughly 3.2 mile branch beyond Kakaʻako toward UH Mānoa, near the university’s 2500 Campus Road address, and look at a separate westward alignment, as reported by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Bill 60 is co sponsored by Councilmembers Tyler Dos Santos-Tam and Radiant Cordero, who argue that clarifying HART’s authority allows meaningful early work without locking the city into construction. HART leaders have told council members they support planning for extensions but emphasize that any new segments are not currently funded.
Money And Timeline
HART has already moved on design work that signals how costly east side progress could be. The agency awarded a 1.66 billion dollar design build contract for Segment 3 and approved roughly 53.2 million dollars in additional design work that would push the guideway toward Ala Moana, according to Hawaii News Now. The Skyline as currently scoped covers about 18.9 miles with 19 stations, per the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation, and industry reporting indicates the final downtown segment is targeted for service around 2031. City leaders keep repeating that Bill 60 would authorize planning work only. Any move to actually build an extension would require separate decisions on how to pay for it.
Local Reaction And Concerns
Written and oral testimony filed with the committee shows strong backing from construction trade groups and metropolitan planners, who argue that early planning would reduce costs and protect local jobs, according to public testimony posted in the city record. Other witnesses urged city leaders to keep accessibility, neighborhood impacts and financial accountability front and center if the city proceeds with studies and eventual construction. The testimony includes filings from the Hawaiʻi Regional Council of Carpenters and the Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization, along with individual residents raising ADA and design concerns.
What Happens Next
With the committee's amended draft reported out, Bill 60 is scheduled for the full Council's third and final reading on Feb. 18, 2026, and would become city policy if the Council approves it, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports. Even if the ordinance passes, HART and the city's Department of Transportation Services note that planning authority is not the same thing as construction funding. Officials say any extensions would move forward only if and when money is secured. In the meantime, HART and DTS officials are evaluating related measures such as park-and-ride connections and other ways to link West Oʻahu commuters to potential future rail alignments.
