FTA APPROVES $1.55 BILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDING

FOR HONOLULU RAIL TRANSIT PROJECT

In a historic day for the Honolulu rail transit project, the Federal Transit

Administration today notified Congress that it will sign a $1.55 billion full funding

grant agreement (FFGA) with the City and County of Honolulu by the end of this

year.

“Today is truly a great day for the Honolulu rail project and the residents of Oahu as

the FTA has informed Congress of its intention to sign the FFGA for $1.55 billion in

federal money for the project,” said HART Executive Director and CEO Dan

Grabauskas. “Many people deserve a lot of credit for helping the rail project achieve

this long-awaited milestone.We want to especially thank those on the federal level –

the FTA, the Obama Administration and our Hawaii congressional delegation led by

Sen. Inouye – who worked tirelessly and closely with the City over the years

throughout this funding approval process.”

The signing of the FFGA is the final step of the FTA’s New Starts federal funding

process for new rail systems, and makes available $200 million to the Honolulu rail

project for fiscal year 2012.

“This is the best holiday gift the citizens of Honolulu could possibly receive: the lean,

clean, smart city of the future,” Mayor Peter Carlisle said. “And the $250 million

appropriation included for Honolulu in the President’s proposed FY2013 budget is

the single largest amount for any New Starts project in the United States.”

Honolulu City Council Chair Ernie Martin said, “The City Council has worked toward

this goal for nearly eight years now, and we’re happy to see everyone’s efforts have

paid off. We’ll continue our support for the rail transit project as it moves forward.”

“This landmark announcement is the culmination of the hard work and

perseverance of so many people throughout the years,” said HART board

chairwoman Carrie Okinaga. “On behalf of the HART board, we sincerely thank all of

our federal, State, local and private sector partners and leaders who have helped to

bring these grant monies home to Hawaii. We enthusiastically restate our

commitment to building this project on time and within budget, and providing a

more efficient and environmentally-friendly transportation system for our

residents.”

Media Contact: Scott Ishikawa, (808) 768-6172, cell: (808) 227-2350.