Bus routes to service rail riders start next month

HONOLULU (KHON2) — The City’s Department of Transportation services officially takes over the first phase of the rail on Friday, June 9.

The majority of train stations will have a bus stop nearby to help shuffle passengers to their last stop. One of the central stations is the Pearl Highlands rail station; the bus stop is a few feet away from the station’s entrance.

The station had plans for a parking structure that were struck due to the high cost of the project. As the City tries to find a new location for parking, people will be able to get dropped off near the bus stop.

But some residents have expressed concerns about having to cross Kamehameha Highway to get to the rail station. HART officials said a raised crosswalk will be installed by June 30.

The Pearl Highlands station will replace the bus stop at the Leeward Community College. Bus route 73 that travels through LLC will now be broken up into three new circulator routes, 531, 532 and 535 from the Pearl Highlands station.

Commuters to the LCC campus will be able to get there by rail. Julie Quilang studies there and will be one of the many traveling on the rail.

She said, “Everybody like myself. I really like to work on my time; so, the faster I get into the place I want to be is better.”

About a mile away, the next stop is the Pearlridge station. The nearest bus stop for that station will be a few feet away from the station’s entrance, right underneath the pedestrian bridge which connects passengers traveling east and westbound.

Changes there will be for route 71 with new routes added.

• Route 541 Wailuna.
• Route 542 Royal Summit/ Newtown.
• Route 544 Upper Pearlridge.

A new community circulator route 545 will service Koauka Loop.

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All of these changes will take effect on the full first day of rail service on July first. The Bus schedule for the rail stations can be found here.