The railroad was a popular tourist attraction for 45 years, operating about 6 miles of track. 'Mac' McKelvy partnered with the Makai Corporation and began the Lahaina-Kaanapali & Pacific Railroad, better known as the Sugar Cane Train. Nevertheless, the history of Hawaii's railroads is a fascinating subject. While large segments remain here or there, at the same time much of the rights-of-way these systems utilized are difficult to trace since most have either been converted into highways/streets or plowed under for plantation use. You can also find components of the old standard-gauged Hawaii Consolidated Railway on the Big Island, 3-foot Kahului Railroad, and Kauai Railway (2'-6') among others. You can still find a great deal of the old Oahu Railway & Land Company network scattered around Oahu, and even ride a short segment via the Hawaiian Railway excursion.

Hawaii Consolidated Railway (Standard Gauge, 4' 8 1 2')Ĭonsidering that virtually the entirety of Hawaii's historic rail network is now gone, there are a plethora of rights-of-way to explore.Hawaiian Agricultural Company (2'), Private Railroad.Akukini Terminal & Railroad Company (2' - 6').Hawaii's common-carrier systems included (3-foot gauge, unless otherwise noted): It was later reincorporated as the Kahului Railroad on July 1, 1881. Hawaii's first common-carrier system was the Kahului & Wailuku Railroad, which opened a 3-mile line from the Wailuku Sugar Company's plantation to the port of Kahului in September, 1879. established a coaling station and marine repair facility at the Pearl River Lagoon, which later became Pearl Harbor Naval Station. The treaty enabled the United States to purchase and export sugar from the Kingdom of Hawaii duty free. This pact was subsequently enforced on September 9, 1876. Hawaii's first railroad, or perhaps railroads, were merely private plantation operations that developed after the Reciprocity Treaty of 1875 was signed. Hilton's book provides a fabulous synopsis of all narrow-gauge operations which once existed in the United States. Another you may want to look into is George Hilton's, 'American Narrow Gauge Railroads.' Those books provide an excellent overview on the subject. Over the years there have been many books written on Hawaii's railroads, from Gerald Best's 'Railroads of Hawaii: Narrow And Standard Gauge Common Carriers' to 'Next Stop Honolulu! The Story of the Oahu Railway & Land Company' by Jim Chiddix and MacKinnon Simpson. The railroad lasted until around 1950 when truckingĪnd mechanical farm machinery was more cost effective than railroads. The Island of Maui's railroad history dates back to 1890 when the island's large Pioneer Mill, which harvested sugar cane, built a short railroad to better move its product to market. Of all Hawaiian railroads the largest was the OR&L, which had double-track operations between Honolulu and Aiea, including block signaling and commuter train operations. * This is the Honolulu Rail Transit system, which is expected to open 20 miles of rapid transit lines in Honolulu between 2023-2031.Īfter World War II the railroad's infrastructure was almost entirely worn out after heavy use during the war to transport material and troops.Īs traffic began receding following the war, when a 55-foot tsunami struck the north shore of Oahu on Apthe railroad was all but forced to shutdown with the heavy damages inflicted on the property (as well as its customers). However, most of these had been abandoned by the 1950s, replaced by trucks.

Hawaii's earliest history with railroads is often credited to the Island of Kauai, whose first system opened in 1881 on three miles of narrow-gauge track at the Kilauea Plantation to haul sugar cane.īy 1915 the island boasted over 200 miles of track, all of which served several sugar plantations. So, to be fair and respectful to each individual island and its history, I will try to give a brief overview of each island's railroads.

Hawaiian railroads have a history that is a bit complex due to the fact that most of the islands had some type of railroad operating on them at one time or another. Today, the State of Hawaii has no operating freight or passenger railroads and its only functioning railroad services are tourist lines. Years, including dozens of private sugar plantation railroads. They were served by a number of common-carrier railroads over the While the islands have never had a large railroad presence Hawaii is rich in rail history albeit little of it remains in

Honolulu rail route map