Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. was hired by the Federal Transit Administration to serve as the Project Management Oversight Contractor. Part of their assignment was to conduct an independent study of the Honolulu Rail Transit project. In a report released by the company, a concern was raised about the design of the passenger cars that Ansaldo Honolulu was developing. According to the report, the two-car trains would hold a total of 318 passengers, but there would only be 64 total seats, leaving 254 riders standing. The report stated, “The expectation that passengers in Honolulu would be willing to endure such long trips standing on crowded trains may not be realistic. Substantial fractions of the forecast ridership base may choose to avoid the system under such conditions.”
Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. warned that uncomfortable passengers may lead to less ridership and fare collections then predicted. The repord added, “Given the length of time that most passengers would be expected to stand on most trips, the system might fail to achieve forecast ridership levels. After trying the system, many passengers may decide that they are unwilling to endure such crowded conditions for such long trips.”
City officials argued that most riders would not ride the entire 20-mile route and would make much shorter trips. The project’s chief systems engineer, Jurgen Sumann, stated, “People will get on and off along the rail route, as is the case with any transit system, and seats will open up along the way. For train passengers with shorter commutes, standing may be preferred to ensure they are able to conveniently and quickly exit the train at their designated stop. This is a common practice with urban rail systems.”
Source: Honolulu Star Advertiser, 3-1-2012, www.staradvertiser.com
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