Honolulu Light Rail: My Experience Riding Skyline

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Honolulu’s Skyline rail system opened its long-awaited second segment on October 16, 2025, finally extending service from the West Side to the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) and on to Lagoon Drive, ending at Middle street. I rode it twice in the first two weeks to see what the experience is actually like and how it might fit into Oahu’s current transportation landscape.

Getting from Honolulu Airport to Waikiki by Skyline Rail + Bus

I arrived at the airport in Honolulu and after grabbing my bag from the carousel, followed the signs through the parking structure to the rail entrance. (It’s not a very far walk, but there was a friendly employee stationed with a cart to help shuttle visitors who offered me a ride, so I took her up on it to talk story for a minute on the way!)

There are machines at the entrance where you can purchase a Holo Card for $2 and load it with value for the rides you plan to take. Keep in mind that transfers to the Bus are also included! So I loaded $3 to cover my ride to the Middle St station and then transfer to the bus to get to Waikiki. 

It was still rather empty when I boarded but I saw families with children, a handful of visitors, and airport workers commuting from the West Side. One kind uncle who got off at Middle Street and directed me to the bus transfer told me he rides Skyline every day “just for something different,” which made me smile. 

An evening Skyline ride from Kapolei to HNL Airport (with transfer to Waikiki)

I began my second ride at Keone’ae, which is the UH West Oahu stop (the second to the last stop) in Kapolei. The station I used seemed like it was geared towards car owners because it required walking across a overpass from the nearby Park and Ride lot rather than boarding directly below. 

The platform itself was clean and well marked. Once on board, the ride felt smooth, safe, and quiet. Announcements were made in both English and ‘Olelo Hawaii (Hawaiian), and the views of the lights of the city were beautiful in the evening light.

Google Maps had given me a routing of 1 hr 6 minutes with a transfer to the bus at Ahua (Lagoon Drive Station), but when I asked an employee , she recommended transferring at the airport instead. 

At the airport stop, I encountered another friendly contract employee making sure other passengers got to their airlines. I asked her about the W3 bus to Waikiki and she walked me to the exit gate to point out the buses waiting just across the lei stands. 

The whole ride took a little less than an hour in total and cost me only $3 using my HOLO card with a free transfer. For visitors, the W3 bus may still be the simpler or more direct option from the airport to Waikiki, but it is exciting to see Skyline finally connecting into the airport and expanding transportation choices on Oahu. I hope it can take even a few cars off Oahu roads.

I will continue updating this post as more segments open and ridership changes. For now, here is the reel of my experience riding Skyline in October and November 2025:

Practical tips for first-timers riding Skyline

• HOLO card: $2 card fee, then load pay-as-you-go value. Transfers to TheBus are included within the valid window. For more information, visit www.holocard.net or call 808-768-4645.
  
• For visitors going from HNL to Waikiki: The W3 Bus remains the simplest direct route. Skyline + bus is fun if you just want to try the new line or are coming from the west side of the island to the airport or Waikiki. View bus connection information.
  • Note that the bus connections are listed by the station names which are in ‘Olelo Hawaii (Hawaiian Language):
    • Lelepaua Station = Daniel K Inouye International Airport (HNL) = Lelepaua Station
    • Ahua Station = Lagoon Drive transit hub (connections to University of Hawaii by U Line, Waikiki by W line, and Downtown by A line buses
  • The current terminal stations now that Segment 2 has opened are:
    • Kualaka’i Station (Westbound end station) = East Kapolei Station 
    • Kahauiki Station (Eastbound end station) = Middle Street / Kalihi Transit hub
• For more information on Skyline: www.honolulu.gov/skyline.

To plan your transit trip, you can download the free Transit App for TheBus and Skyline schedules and real-time arrivals. I found that Google Maps was also somewhat accurate but didn’t always give me the Skyline and Bus options that I knew I was going to be taking.