We rode the Skyline (Oahu's new rail system) today to experience it firsthand.
To prepare, I called TheBus to find out how to get to Aloha Stadium, the furthest the system has been completed, in the Honolulu direction. Starting from the Ala Moana area, I was advised to take Bus #20, which goes through the Airport on its way to the Stadium. When I asked if there was another bus which would also take us there, the representative said #42 goes close by, but we would have to walk into the Stadium.
We ended up taking the 42 because it arrived first. When we finally reached Aloha Stadium, it was just a short walk around a fence to the Skyline station itself. We discovered in the process that there were other buses we could have taken as well, among them 40 and 51.
My first impression, as we arrived at the station, was that the entry/exit gates superficially resembled the subway system in Seoul, South Korea, where you swipe your cards to enter and exit. The big difference was the lines of people waiting to pay their fares prior to entering. In Seoul, there were vending machine which allow you to replenish your cards, but most riders had preloaded cards.
I looked around the station and confirmed what I had previously heard, that there were no public restrooms.
I had read that the trains arrive in 10 minute intervals, and when we went to the departure platform, the displayed schedules supported this; the arriving train, and the one after that, were 10 minutes apart.
We got on and rode from the Halawa (Aloha Stadium) station, past Pearlridge, Pearl Highlands, Leeward Community College, Waipahu Transit Center, West Loch, Hoopili, University of Hawaii West Oahu, and finally the end point, East Kapolei. All 9 completed stations had names in Hawaiian, most of which I found difficult to remember, and I wouldn't try pronouncing them. I initially had in mind to get off at the Kapolei station to have lunch. I asked the station attendant if there were any places to eat (I meant near the Kapolei station), but to my disappointment, he indicated other stations situated sporadically along the line. In retrospect, much of the land we passed on the way to Kapolei appeared to be undeveloped, which could be a good thing, except it didn't help finalize our lunch plans. We got on the next Stadium-bound train and got off at Pearlridge. We eventually found a decent restaurant at which to eat - but that's a story for another time. After lunch and some window shopping, we opted to take the bus straight to Honolulu, rather than get back on the Skyline.
Our overall impression of the Skyline? It was okay doing it once for the experience. We don't anticipate using it again in the foreseeable future.
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