Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation

What Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation does

The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) is a semi-autonomous government transit authority established by Hawaii voters in November 2010 and headquartered in downtown Honolulu. HART is responsible for building the Skyline rail transit system, a grade-separated automated (driverless) rail system running along O'ahu's south shore from East Kapolei to Civic Center in Kaka'ako, spanning a revised scope of 18.9 miles and 19 stations. The system is powered by a third-rail electric network with a fleet of twenty four-car trains supplied and maintained by Hitachi Rail Honolulu. Skyline Segment 1 (East Kapolei to Aloha Stadium) opened for passenger service in June 2023, and Segment 2 (Aloha Stadium to Kalihi Transit Center, including the airport) opened in October 2025, with Segment 3 (City Center) under construction and targeting a March 2031 Operational Readiness date. Rail operations have been transferred to the City and County of Honolulu's Department of Transportation Services (DTS), while HART retains responsibility for construction delivery.

Name

Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation

Legal name

Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation

Website

https://honolulutransit.org

Company type

Public

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation is a semi-autonomous Hawaii government authority building the Skyline, an automated driverless rail system serving O'ahu's south shore residents and visitors through 19 stations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Rail Transit

NAICS

Urban Transit Systems (48511), Support Activities for Rail Transportation (4882)

SIC

Local & Suburban Transit & Interurban Hwy Passenger Trans (4100)

akta.pro primary industry

Automated People Mover (APM) Operators (Airport/Campus) (TLAFAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Automatic Train Operation (ATO) Supervision & Regulation (TLAJAEAD), Local Transportation, Parking & Mobility Administration (BPAIACAM)

Keywords

• Public transit services
• Automated rail transit
• Urban transportation systems
• Fare collection systems
• Transit infrastructure development

Headquarters

HQ city

Honolulu

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Federal Transit Administration Grants: Primary federal funding through Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA) providing $1.55 billion (approximately 32% of estimated $5.1 billion project cost). Additional $125M received in April 2024. FTA acceptance of 2022 Recovery Plan triggered FFGA amendment.
2. General Excise Tax (GET): 0.5% General Excise Tax authorized by Hawaii State Legislature in 2005. Extended in January 2016 to raise additional $1.2 billion lasting until 2027. Further extended in September 2017 with additional 1% Transient Accommodation Tax raise to total $2.4 billion lasting until December 2030.
3. City Transient Accommodations Tax: Bill 40 approved December 2021 implemented a 3% new City Transient Accommodations Tax on visitor accommodations, allocating revenue specifically for the rail project.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) builds and operates the Skyline automated (driverless) rail transit system along O'ahu's south shore, consisting of 18.9 miles and 19 stations from East Kapolei to a temporary terminus at Civic Center in Kaka'ako. The system is powered by a third-rail electric system with a fleet of twenty four-car trains running on a fully elevated guideway, and integrates with TheBus via the HOLO Card fare system. HART is a semi-autonomous government authority funded by federal FTA grants, state GET surtax, and a city transient accommodations tax.

Product overview

The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) operates the Skyline automated rail system, a grade-separated driverless train running along O'ahu's south shore. The system consists of three segments: Segment 1 (East Kapolei to Aloha Stadium, operational since June 2023), Segment 2 (Aloha Stadium to Kalihi Transit Center, operational since October 2025), and Segment 3 (City Center, under construction with 2031 target). Skyline trains are powered by third-rail electric systems with a fleet of twenty four-car trains. Integration with TheBus is enabled via the HOLO Card fare system. HART also maintains a public website portal for project information, traffic updates, and community engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Skyline: The brand name for the Honolulu Rail Transit automated driverless rail system operated along O'ahu's south shore.

Products and services

• Skyline Automated Rail System The Skyline automated (driverless) rail system running along O'ahu's south shore on a fully elevated guideway (with a 0.6-mile at-grade section near Leeward Community College Station), powered by a third-rail electric system using a fleet of twenty four-car trains. Currently spans from East Kapolei to Kalihi Transit Center, with future extension to Civic Center and beyond. Targeted at O'ahu residents and visitors needing reliable, traffic-free transit.
• HOLO Card Unified Fare System The HOLO Card is the unified fare card used across Skyline rail and TheBus bus services on O'ahu, enabling seamless single-card transfers between modes for commuters and visitors.
• Skyline Segment 3 (City Center) Construction and Stations The final construction segment of the Skyline system covering the City Center corridor including Kalihi, Iwilei, Downtown Honolulu, Chinatown, and Kaka'ako, with stations such as Kuloloia (Downtown) and Ka'ākaukukui (Civic Center). Delivered by HART with contractors including Tutor Perini Corporation, Frank V. Coluccio Construction Company, and Nan, Inc.
• HART Public Information Portal (honolulutransit.org)

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Tutor Perini CorporationcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 August 2024HART awarded the City Center Guideway and Stations (CCGS) Design-Build Contract to Tutor Perini Corporation in August 2024. Tutor Perini is the primary contractor for Segment 3 construction activities including foundation, column construction, and station work in the Chinatown area.
• Nan, Inc.majorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 August 2022HART awarded the CCUR IV Dillingham construction contract to Nan, Inc. in August 2022 for Dillingham segment construction.
• Frank V. Coluccio Construction Company, Inc.majorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 May 2022HART awarded the CCUR III Downtown construction contract to Frank V. Coluccio Construction Company, Inc. in May 2022 for downtown segment construction activities.
• Hitachi Rail HonolulucoreTechnology or IntegrationHitachi Rail Honolulu is the supplier and maintainer of the automated train system for Skyline. In October 2022, HART and Hitachi Rail Honolulu conducted emergency training exercises between East Kapolei and UH-West O'ahu Stations with the City's first responders.
• City and County of HonolulucoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHART is a semi-autonomous authority of the City and County of Honolulu, established in November 2010 by voters. The City provides governance through the HART Board of Directors and coordinates with the Department of Transportation Services for rail operations.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro): LA Metro is building and operating multiple urban rail lines (subway, light rail, automated people movers) across a single metropolitan corridor on the West Coast. Like HART, it relies heavily on federal grants, local sales tax measures, and a phased, segmented delivery model.
• Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA): WMATA operates the Washington, D.C. Metrorail — a heavy-rail, electrified rapid transit system with grade-separated, automated-train-operation characteristics. Comparable to HART in operating an urban metro with a multi-segment, multi-decade construction and capital-rebuild pipeline.
• Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART): BART operates a grade-separated, electrified urban rail rapid transit system across the San Francisco Bay Area on an exclusive right-of-way. It is the closest U.S. analogue to HART in terms of automated-style fixed-guideway rapid transit linking suburban corridors to a dense urban core.
• Sound Transit (Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority): Sound Transit is a regional transit authority in the Pacific Northwest building and operating light rail and commuter rail extensions under a voter-approved, tax-funded long-range plan. Its multi-decade, segmented expansion model closely parallels HART's phased Skyline delivery.
• Vancouver SkyTrain (TransLink / British Columbia Rapid Transit Company): SkyTrain in Metro Vancouver is a fully automated, grade-separated driverless rapid metro using linear-induction and conventional automated technology. It is one of the closest international operating analogues to HART's Skyline in technology, exclusivity, and corridor structure.

Regional players

• Singapore Land Transport Authority (LTA): LTA owns and oversees Singapore's automated, grade-separated MRT network. While geographically distant from HART, LTA is a relevant comparator on automated urban metro operations, government procurement of large rail capital programs, and integrated multimodal fare systems — analogous technology and program shape but a different market.

Broad incumbents

• Chicago Transit Authority (CTA): CTA operates Chicago's 'L' rapid transit and bus network as a public authority funded by regional sales tax and public funding. Like HART, CTA relies on a combination of state/local tax revenues and federal grants for capital expansion of urban rail.
• Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA): MBTA operates Boston's subway, commuter rail, bus, and ferry networks under a state-authority governance model. It is comparable to HART as a legacy, multi-mode, tax- and grant-funded transit authority with aging infrastructure under ongoing capital reinvestment.
• Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA): MARTA operates heavy-rail rapid transit and bus service in metropolitan Atlanta under a regional authority governed by a board drawn from local jurisdictions. Its structure, public funding model, and rapid-transit asset base are broadly comparable to HART's.

Others

• Honolulu Department of Transportation Services (TheBus): DTS operates TheBus and the Skyline passenger service on behalf of the City and County of Honolulu, taking over HART-built assets. It is the immediate downstream operator/successor in the same geography and therefore an essential ecosystem peer rather than a competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hnl_rtd
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/HonoluluRailTransit
• Facebookfacebook.com/HonoluluRailTransit
• Instagraminstagram.com/honolulu_rail_transit

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation