It’s official…rail is underway! The groundbreaking ceremony for the Honolulu Rail Project was held on Tuesday, February 22, in Kapolei. It signaled the start to a project that will forever improve the lives of people living and visiting Oahu.
Over 500 rail supporters attended the ceremony including Hawaii’s congressional members, state legislators and business leaders.
Mayor Carlisle addresses the crowd of rail supporters
Attendees were abuzz with excitement about the numerous benefits that this rail project will bring to the residents of Oahu. Mayor Carlisle, a key supporter of the project addressed the ceremony’s attendees saying “The rail transit project is not being built just for those of us here today, but for decades and generations to come. It is not being built just to transform our methods of transportation, and it will do that. It is also being built to transform our neighborhoods, where we live and how we live.”
The moment everyone has been waiting for. Less traffic and more jobs are on the way!
The ceremony included live music performed by the Royal Hawaiian Band, a blessing of the land and of course the groundbreaking itself. The city leaders broke ground using ‘o’o sticks made of koa wood. These sticks were used in ancient times to prepare the ground for planting.
Sumitomo executives are excited about the prosepct of helping to get the rail project started!
Sumitomo executives were invited to take part in the historic event and were excited to see the rail project finally get started. “This groundbreaking ceremony has been a long time coming. I am proud and honored to be here today,” Gino Antoniello, Sumitomo VP of Transportation Systems and Equipment (second from left). “I’ve been to many of these type of events before but this one was truly special. The blessing of the land and cultural practices displayed really set this groundbreaking ceremony apart from all the rest,” Antoniello added.
It seems the only thing left to do is to start building. Mayor Carlisle estimated that roughly 1,000 jobs will be created by the rail project in the first year alone. “We’re excited about the great job opportunities with this project, it’s time to put people to work,” said Antoniello. To learn about potential job opportunities with Sumitomo and the Honolulu Rail Project visit HonoluluRailForGrowth.com
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