Source: https://www.honolulu.gov/dts/skyline/ridership/
It's being built in phases starting from the suburbs and so each phase is more useful than the last
this post was submitted on 06 Feb 2026
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Likely, yes. But also, starting construction from the west meant fewer delays from right-of-way acquisition, since much of the elevated track was built through areas that haven't been fully built out yet. This also allowed fine-tuning the building method, since essentially the entire line is on elevated viaducts. What they learned from the first segment becomes improvements when building in the denser areas eastward.
The phased approach also recognizes that existing bus service was not as robust as in the tourist-heavy, built-up, denser east harbor area. So starting the rail service in the west means existing buses can be transformed into feeders to the rail line, which can carry people eastward faster than the congested highways.
Actually super clever design thinking
The USA doesn't often build automated light metros, so it's necessary to take stock of what works (platform-screen doors, construction planning, off-street viaducts that dodge traffic outright) and what doesn't (cost of construction in VHCOL area).
No doubt, there are probably many other things that have gone wrong in the project, but unless the USA starts building more, it'll never learn from those mistakes.
Case in point: the original US Interstate freeway standards used to specify that median barriers were optional if the median was wider than 30 ft (~9 meters). But later research showed than even 45 ft of median could still allow a vehicle to cross-over into oncoming traffic. The standard is now 60 ft, with old freeways were retrofitted with cable barriers to gently slow a wayward vehicle.