HONOLULU (KHON2) — Welding repairs that were made to correct flaws in the Honolulu rail tracks have been completed. Officials said welders specializing in manganese metal had to be brought in from the mainland.
The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) said the repairs began on Feb. 28 and were completed on April 8. Tight gage and weld modifications were made from East Kapolei to Aloha Stadium at five double crossovers known as “frogs.”
The problem was that the wheels were too thin where the tracks crossed over, and the space between the parallel portion was too tight right before the cross.
According to officials, the base contract for outside work was $377,000. There was an additional cost for labor as well.
How the cost will be split is not yet known as HART said it is still being negotiated whether rail operator Hitachi will pay.
HART said before trial runs can begin, Hitachi still needs to complete pre-testing. HART said this could be in July, the handover to the city will be 90 days after that.
