HONOLULU — Federal officials have told the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation that it needs to raise the price tag for construction of the 20-mile (32-kilometre) rail project by $134 million. Authority Executive Director Andrew Robbins told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that the Federal Transit Administration wants the increase reflected in the revised financial plan to demonstrate the city has enough money to complete the project. That amount will raise the cost of construction to nearly $8.3 billion, but Robbins said the nearly $8.2 billion budget has not changed. The city had pledged in 2012 to complete the rail and its 21 stations for $5.26 billion, but construction and financing costs have soared in recent years. It was initially planned to be completed next year, but federal officials believe the project won’t be finished until September 2026.

Source: National Post September 26, 2018 14:03 UTC