Waiawa station

Waiawa Pearl Highlands
The entrance to Waiawa station
General information
Location	96-249 Kamehameha Highway Pearl City, Hawaiʻi
Coordinates	21°23′47″N 157°58′47″W
Owned by	Honolulu Department of Transportation Services
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Connections	TheBus: 531, 532, 533, 535[1]
Construction
Structure type	Elevated
Accessible	Yes
History
Opened	June 30, 2023; 19 months ago (2023-06-30)
Services
Preceding station Skyline Following station Hālaulani toward Kualakaʻi Skyline Kalauao toward Hālawa
Location

Waiawa station (also known as Pearl Highlands station) is a Skyline metro station in Pearl City, Hawaiʻi, serving the Pearl Highlands Center shopping mall. The station is located alongside Kamehameha Highway near its intersection with Kuala Street and is the main arterial connection for Skyline riders from Central Oʻahu and the North Shore, including Waipio, Mililani, Wahiawa and Haleʻiwa.[2] It opened on June 30, 2023.[3][4]

In Hawaiian, "waiawa" means "milkfish water" and is the name of the ahupuaʻa in which it is located, referring to the fact it housed multiple fishponds and comprises the largest watershed on Oʻahu.[2][5] The Hawaiian Station Name Working Group proposed Hawaiian names for the nine rail stations on the ʻEwa end of the rail system (stations west of and including Aloha Stadium) in November 2017,[5] and HART adopted the proposed names on February 22, 2018.[6]

Service

Station layout

PL Platform level	Side platform, doors will open on the right
	Westbound	←      Skyline toward Kualakaʻi (Hālaulani)
	Eastbound	→      Skyline toward Hālawa (Kalauao) →
	Side platform, doors will open on the right
C	Concourse	Connection between platforms
G	Ground level	Entrance/Exit, fare gates, ticket machines
S	Street level	Buses, kiss and ride

Hours and frequency

Skyline trains run every 10 minutes. Service operates from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends and holidays.[7]

Park and ride construction issues

The initial plans for the system called for a 1,600-space park and ride garage to be built at the station with direct access ramps to Interstate H-2 to provide convenient access for rail passengers from Central Oʻahu and the North Shore, the largest park and ride along the entire rail line. However, because of the station's location over a stream, the garage and its connecting highway on- and off-ramps would have cost $330 million to build ($206,000 per stall), which was deemed excessive by the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) and indefinitely deferred.[8][9] However, due to its location and connections with various TheBus routes, HART predicts the station will still see high usage, and city officials predicted the lack of a garage "won’t significantly affect rail ridership".[2] The lack of completion of the garage is predicted to affect systemwide daily boardings by 1.7%, or a 1,500 passenger per day decrease.[2]

Station information

When all 19 stations are open in 2031, Waiawa is projected to rank second in boardings at 9,685 per day, assuming the completed construction of the park and ride garage.

It is estimated that 60% of riders will get to or from station via TheBus.[2]

Surrounding area

The station is within walking distance of a Sam’s Club store, Regal Cinemas, The Home Depot, Walmart, housed in the adjacent 411,000-square-foot Pearl Highlands Center. Century Park Plaza, a 47-story condominium tower, is located west of the Pearl Highlands Center, and homes in the Manana housing complex are also nearby.

The station currently lacks pedestrian-friendly access, requiring riders to walk along the divided Kamehameha Highway and use a crosswalk to reach nearby stores. The City and County of Honolulu and Hawaii Public Housing Authority nonetheless anticipate future transit-oriented development in the area, including the development of 1,500 homes and 1.1 million square feet of retail, office, and industrial business spaces within a half-mile of the station. Kamehameha Schools additionally intends to develop 2,000 acres between Pearl City and Waipio into a community with 11,109 homes, five public schools, and more than 500,000 square feet of commercial space over 50 years, beginning as early as 2033.[2]

References

1. "TheBus-Rail Network 2023" (PDF). City and County of Honolulu. June 19, 2023. p. 3. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
2. Gomes, Andrew (June 28, 2023). "Skyline station link diminished for Central Oahu and North Shore". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. pp. A11. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
3. "'A 21st century system': To fanfare, city announces official opening date of rail's first phase". Hawaii News Now. May 9, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
4. Honore, Marcel. "All Aboard 'Skyline': City Plans To Start Rail Service On 4th of July Weekend". Honolulu Civil Beat. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
5. "Hawaiian Station Naming Program" (PDF). Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation. November 22, 2017. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
6. "HART Board of Directors unanimously approve Hawaiian names for first nine rail stations" (PDF) (Press release). Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation. February 22, 2018. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
7. "Skyline General Information". Honolulu Department of Transportation Services. June 19, 2023. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
8. Cruz, Catherine (July 13, 2022). "Honolulu rail project is exploring alternatives to Pearl Highlands parking garage". Hawaii Public Radio. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
9. "Requesting the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation and the City Administration to Prepare a Study Evaluating Parking and Other Transportation Options for the Waiawa (Pearl Highlands) Rail Station". City and County of Honolulu. March 22, 2023. Retrieved June 19, 2023.

External links

Media related to Waiawa station at Wikimedia Commons

• Waiawa station – Honolulu Department of Transportation Services
• Waiawa station – Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART)