City contractors have advised that no passengers be allowed on seven station platforms until they have a better grasp of the issue, rail officials said.

A  track consultant pressed HART officials for two years for the rail agency to make key changes that would make the system safer and more operable. They dismissed him in February.

It's not clear why HART is moving ahead before confirming which environmental approvals are needed and how long they might take.

The rail agency hasn't said who was responsible, but it assured they're no longer working on the project.

Meanwhile, questions remain about the overpayments that were also made as part of the same widespread problems.

Ridership on the truncated line would be nearly 30% less than previous estimates, but the city would complete the system to South Street by 2031.

An average of 119,600 people were originally expected to board the trains each weekday, but that will drop to 84,000 daily riders with the shorter route.

Project officials stress that they're still fully committed to getting rail to Ala Moana, but it's still not clear financially how that would happen.

The city has spent several years and millions of dollars fighting the developer in court over land for rail. Now, the transit system might not reach the Hughes Kakaako properties.

The original plan called for 20 miles of rail and 21 stations with trains traveling from East Kapolei to Ala Moana Center, but it's falling short.