Metro train travels on Honolulu’s elevated rail network for the first time

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A stock photo of the Honolulu's new urban rail system. Credit: Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation.
A stock photo of the Honolulu's new urban rail system. Credit: Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation.
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Engineers in Hawaii have towed a metro train on Honolulu’s elevated metro system for the first time.

The first metro train was towed – because the electrical grid that will power the trains has not yet been electrified – between Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation’s (HART) rail operations centre and the future home of the West Loch station for clearance testing.

HART said that the operation went well and was completed in just over an hour.

The clearance testing was to – as the name indicates – make sure adequate space exists between the train and passing structures.

The train gets towed at slow speed to allow engineers to walk alongside the train and check the clearance meets requirements.

Further testing is expected later this summer.

The Honolulu rail system will connect Kapolei to Ala Moana Centre via Waipahu and Pearl City with stations at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, Chinatown, Downtown Honolulu and Kakaako.

Construction of the project began in 2012 and the first completed 10 mile route is expected to open in 2020.

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