Keoneʻae station

Keoneʻae station (also known as University of Hawaiʻi – West Oʻahu station) is an elevated Skyline metro station in East Kapolei, Hawaiʻi, serving the nearby University of Hawaiʻi – West Oʻahu campus. The station is located alongside Kualakaʻi Parkway above its intersection with Hoomohala Avenue. The station opened on June 30, 2023^[2][3] and includes a 304 space park and ride lot,^[4] with plans to offer up to 1,000 spaces at the site eventually.^[5]

Keoneʻae University of Hawaiʻi – West Oʻahu
Keoneʻae station building and pedestrian overpass as seen in July 2022
General information
Location	91-3590 Kualakaʻi Parkway East Kapolei, Hawaiʻi
Coordinates	21°21′29″N 158°03′05″W
Owned by	Honolulu Department of Transportation Services
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Connections	TheBus: C, 40, 46, 95, 99, 461[1]
Construction
Structure type	Elevated
Parking	304 spaces
Bicycle facilities	Racks
Accessible	Yes
History
Opened	June 30, 2023; 16 months ago (2023-06-30)
Services
Preceding station Skyline Following station Kualakaʻi Terminus Skyline Honouliuli toward Hālawa
Location

In Hawaiian, "kaoneʻae" means "fine, soft, powdery sand".^[6] The Hawaiian Station Name Working Group proposed Hawaiian names for the nine rail stations on the ʻEwa end of the rail system (stations west of and including Aloha Stadium) in November 2017,^[7] and HART adopted the proposed names on February 22, 2018.^[8]

Service

Station layout

PL Platform level	Side platform, doors will open on the right
	Westbound	←      Skyline toward Kualakaʻi (Terminus)
	Eastbound	→      Skyline toward Hālawa (Honouliuli) →
	Side platform, doors will open on the right
C	Concourse	Bridge over Kualakaʻi Parkway, connection between platforms
G	Ground level	Entrance/Exit, fare gates, ticket machines, buses, park and ride lot, UHWO campus

Hours and frequency

Skyline trains run every 10 minutes. Service operates from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends and holidays.^[9]

Station information

Kukui ʻĀ Mau I Ke Ao Mālamalama by Satoru Abe

When all 19 stations are open in 2031, Keoneʻae is projected to rank 18th in boardings at 2,440 per day.

After 2030, use is predicted to become considerably higher if long-term development plans for University of Hawaiʻi – West Oʻahu's "university village", the nearly Ho‘opili housing development, and 168 acres of nearby vacant state land are fully realized. The station's name refers to a historic farming village that existed historically at the intersection of Kaloʻi Gulch and Farrington Highway.

A larger 1,000-stall park and ride is slated to be developed in 2025 or later, along with a second entrance to the rail station.^[6]

Public art is present at the station via the Station Art Program. Etched copper metal panels are present at the station entrance, collectively titled Kukui ʻĀ Mau I Ke Ao Mālamalama (A Torch That Continues to Burn During the Day) by local artist Satoru Abe. The abstracted kukui (candlenut) motifs and scattered flora represent the University of Hawaiʻi's mission of "mālamalama," or "light of knowledge."

Surrounding area

View from the station platform in June 2023

Keoneʻae station is located between Ho‘opili, a 11,750-home development, and the University of Hawaiʻi – West Oʻahu. Other existing homes near the station include a market-priced 318-unit rental apartment complex named The Element, a low-income 120-unit rental housing complex named Kulia, and for-sale mixed-use townhouses with ground-floor retail spaces.

The Hawai'i Department of Land and Natural Resources plans to build 1,000 homes, a hotel, retail space, a warehouse, and offices in the nearby vacant land by 2029, with continuing development through 2040, which is expected to create 2,390 long-term jobs via 1 million square feet of industrial buildings on 60 acres.^[6]

References

1. "TheBus-Rail Network 2023" (PDF). City and County of Honolulu. June 19, 2023. p. 3. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
2. "'A 21st century system': To fanfare, city announces official opening date of rail's first phase". Hawaii News Now. May 9, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
3. Honore, Marcel. "All Aboard 'Skyline': City Plans To Start Rail Service On 4th of July Weekend". Honolulu Civil Beat. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
4. "Skyline Park and Rides". Honolulu Department of Transportation Services. June 16, 2023. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
5. "Keone'ae Station #2". Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
6. Gomes, Andrew (June 26, 2023). "Skyline's second station is sandwiched by UH West Oahu and Hoʻopili growth". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. pp. A6.
7. "Hawaiian Station Naming Program" (PDF). Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation. November 22, 2017. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
8. "HART Board of Directors unanimously approve Hawaiian names for first nine rail stations" (PDF) (Press release). Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation. February 22, 2018. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
9. "Skyline General Information". Honolulu Department of Transportation Services. June 19, 2023. Retrieved June 20, 2023.

External links

Media related to Keoneae station at Wikimedia Commons

• Keoneʻae station – Honolulu Department of Transportation Services
• Keoneʻae station – Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART)