Step outside a train station in Tokyo, and you’ll find all sorts of amenities: neon-lit neighborhoods, shopping malls with bustling food courts, and public spaces where people engage in a range of activities — from sipping matcha to playing music and holding pick-up arm wrestling tournaments.
Outside a Honolulu Skyline station, by contrast, you’re likely to find little more than a red dirt road and a “No Trespassing” sign. Typically, there’s not even a bathroom open to the public.
Now, the State of Hawaiʻi is negotiating an agreement with a Tokyo-based railroad conglomerate with a century of expertise in transit-oriented development. The goal is to help Honolulu’s struggling Skyline project attract riders, spawn development of affordable housing and enhance the quality of life of residents who are forking out more than $10 billion to pay for the rail line…