Hawaii light rail update

[Kb4iuj]

Kind of interesting how the real thing looks like an over sized Kato or Tomix layout.

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4PbswVLBhBE

 

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=o_kSvvujwcI

Edited September 5, 2015 by Kb4iuj

[westfalen]

Finally, a good reason to visit Hawaii. :)

[katoftw]

They class that as light rail?

[kvp]

Actually it's a light metro, very similar to the skytrain network in Vancouver. The tracks and the infractuture are heavy, but the capacity is actually less than some more serious street running tram routes in Europe.

 

Personally, i think a simple street running system with dedicated tram/bus lanes and longer (4-6 car) trams would have been better. I do understand that a metro or subway system was out of quiestion on the quake prone island, but the costs and environmental impact of elevated rails over the streets are too high for such low capacity system. Actually even a trolley bus system with double articulated buses would have been perfectly good for this capacity with a fraction of the cost. The elevated tracks add the possibility of high speed at a rather high cost and both the whole line and the station distances are too short for speed to matter this much.

[Kb4iuj]

I too, agree this is a pretty fair reason to visit Hawaii as no doubt the views would be spectacular! So Mark your calendars for 2019.

 

Wonder what the weight constraints are as in terms of running a freight train over those tracks? Or where is the Baseball stadium going to be at ? As what's a Metro without a huge Baseball stadium nearby. Wonder what the team would be called or who'd want to relocate their franchise there?

[kvp]

 

Wonder what the weight constraints are as in terms of running a freight train over those tracks?

It's an elevated light metro, so no locomotives, no standard freight or passenger cars and nothing larger than the small loading gauge of the automated metro cars. This is a way to connect two universities, the airport, the ala moana shopping center and waikiki, so the main groups are tourist and students with any locals who don't want to use the old transit methods. The whole system is like the Vancouver Skytrain or the Tokyo Yurikamome, only a bit more expensive. (no, you can't use normal trains on the Yurikamome either)

 

ps: the obligatory stadium is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloha_Stadium

[Mudkip Orange]

Personally, i think

 

Elevated light metro can run driverless, and since it can run driverless it can run 6 minute headways all day every day. Trolley buses and trams require expensive human operators, so the cost forces you to run crap service like every 20 minutes at midday or once an hour in late evenings.

 

Also, the (US) federal government will pay most of the capital cost if they like a transit system, but they won't pay for O&M. So it makes sense to front-load your costs by selecting high capital/low maintenance systems, of which this is one.

[Kb4iuj]

Memphis, TN is a prime example how their trolley car system was a bust or a flop. New Orleans steals the show from them... As there trackage is flat. In Memphis the lay of the land is quite hilly and when riding their trolley cars it actually felt unsafe and going up and down. And to hear those things rumble by... They just didn't sound like the street cars in New Orleans. Hence, the city pulled the plug on the trolley cars and opted instead for electric battery powered buses.

 

Though, I wonder if one of those Japanese Tram companies. Ever thought about to approach The City of Memphis so as to run a few of their modern looking trams. Just to see if the city passengers would come out in droves to ride on the modern looking trolley cars. Something ultra quiet as who wants to ride an electric bus around downtown. Though, nice an quiet. Ya just gotta wonder what the Japanese Tram Companies might have said to the City about their trackage.

Edited September 8, 2015 by Kb4iuj

[Mudkip Orange]

Kinki Sharyo Brookville built a battery-electric tramcar for Dallas, after winning a competition in which Kinki Sharyo also participated. The line it runs on is painfully slow (10 and 15mph trackage), entirely duplicates existing bus service, and has substantial portions of single track running.

Edited September 8, 2015 by Mudkip Orange

[NB1231]

Memphis, TN is a prime example how their trolley car system was a bust or a flop. New Orleans steals the show from them... As there trackage is flat. In Memphis the lay of the land is quite hilly and when riding their trolley cars it actually felt unsafe and going up and down. And to hear those things rumble by... They just didn't sound like the street cars in New Orleans. Hence, the city pulled the plug on the trolley cars and opted instead for electric battery powered buses.

 

Though, I wonder if one of those Japanese Tram companies. Ever thought about to approach The City of Memphis so as to run a few of their modern looking trams. Just to see if the city passengers would come out in droves to ride on the modern looking trolley cars. Something ultra quiet as who wants to ride an electric bus around downtown. Though, nice an quiet. Ya just gotta wonder what the Japanese Tram Companies might have said to the City about their trackage.

Memphis still uses the trolleys today. My friend has family there and they rode them a few times.

 

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S6 using Tapatalk

[Kb4iuj]

They still have them but I doubt if they'll be using them anytime soon. Just checked their website and well, they must like those new shuttles.

 

http://www.matatransit.com/services/trolleys/

 

Way back in Feburary I went to Memphis for the IBC's and they had already shut them down.

 

If somebody wants to be clever, create a Memphis layout and run some modern looking Trams on it and of course, update some of the building - to make the place look modern.

 

If this sounds like something you'd like to do. I can easily slip on down the Memphis way and photograph the trolley line. Then go over and check out the Pyramid. Which is now a huge BassPro Shop store & tourist attraction.

Edited September 8, 2015 by Kb4iuj

[Melandir]

I have found a 360° video of the first train for Honolulu

 

http://www.civilbeat.com/2016/05/heres-a-360-degree-view-inside-honolulu-rapid-transits-first-railcar/

 

and here some news

 

http://www.railwayage.com/index.php/passenger/rapid-transit/prototype-hart-trainset-unveiled.html?channel=62