Ruins of the Ahukini Terminal Railway on Kauai, Hawaii

Unlike most railroads in the Hawaiian Islands the former right-of-way of the Ahukini Terminal Railway is fairly easy spot. Much of the 2-foot, 6-inch narrow gauge line has had repurposed right-of-way and bridges.

The Ahukini Terminal Railway opened in 1920 and serviced the numerous sugar cane fields of the Lihue Plantation. The main line of the railway system ran north/south from Ahukini Landing near what is now Lihue Airport to Anahola Bay. The main line was extended south to Nawiliwili Bay in 1931, and numerous branch lines existed throughout eastern Kauai. The last train on the Ahukini Terminal Railway ran in 1959.

This blog serves as a brief historical overview of the Ahukini Terminal Railway and a spotlight of numerous structures from the line which still exist. The blog cover is facing towards two remaining railway bridges at Moikeha Canal in Kapaa.

This page is part of the Gribblenation Hawaii Roads series.  A compellation of all Hawaii-related media from both Gribblenation and RoadwayWiz can be found by clicking here. 

Part 1; the history of the Ahukini & Terminal Railway

By the late 1890s the Lihue Plantation (founded in 1849) was using Ahukini Landing as a port for their shipping operations. On November 25, 1910, the Army Corps of Engineers filed a report which examined numerous locations on Kauai for a major deep-water port. The report determined that Ahukini Landing was inferior as a port location compared to Nawiliwili Bay, Koloa Bay and Hanapepe Bay.

The Lihue Plantation was undeterred by the Army Corps of Engineers assessment and chose Ahukini Landing as terminus of a new railroad line. The Ahukini Terminal Railway opened in 1920 as a line connecting the numerous sugar plantations on eastern Kauai. This railway was comprised of 2 foot, 6-inch narrow gauge track which initially spanned north to Kapaa and Keilia via the Wailua River. By May 1921 the line had been extended northward to Anahola Bay.

This photo is of the Ahukini Terminal Railway bridges at Hanamaulu Stream in 1923 (Amfac Incorporated Collection). The high trestle was part of the original line segment whereas the concrete span at the bottom was a spur then under construction.

The original Ahukini Terminal Railway dock facility at Ahukini Landing can be seen below as it was in 1924 (Ahukini Recreation Pier State Park photo).

Both Kuhio Highway and the Ahukini Terminal Railway can be seen passing through downtown Kapaa on this northbound facing photo dated July 6, 1924.  Numerous branch lines existed within the vicinity of Kapaa. 

In 1931 the Ahukini Terminal Railway was extended south to Nawiliwili Bay. This extension was constructed to service additional Lihue Plantation interests which had developed there. The end of the line can be seen below at Nawiliwili Bay in 1935 (Victor Norton Collection). In 1930 Nawiliwili Bay was dredged to accommodate large ships, and large seawall was installed.  Much of the funding for these improvements were provided by George Wilcox.

Much of the Ahukini Terminal Railway can be seen in detail on the 1954 United States Geological Survey map of Kauai. The line segments between Ahukini Landing, Lihue and the Wailua River can be seen below.

The line segments north of the Wailua River through Kapaa to Anahola Bay can be seen below.

The Ahukini Terminal Railway's Baldwin Locomotive 0-6-0 known as #1 Kalalau can be seen below in a state of disrepair at the Lihue Plantation sugar mill facility (Charles Mack Wills photo).

The last train on the Ahukini Terminal Railway ran in 1959. Following the decommissioning of the line most of the bridges were left in place and were not initially repurposed. Lihue Plantation representatives would indicate during a series of 1964-1965 letters that the railway records were subject to an unauthorized burn when the warehouse they were stored at was demolished.

During the 1990s approximately 8.5 miles of the Ahukini Terminal Railway mainline right of way was repurposed in the Kapaa area as the Ke Ala Hele Makalae Trail. This trail incorporates several of the railroad bridges once used by narrow-gauge trains.

In 2009 the Ahukini Terminal Railway bridge at the Wailua River was retrofitted with a Acrow Bridge Company prefabricated road span.  This prefabricated structure has been pressed into service as the northbound lanes of Hawaii Route 56 (Kuhio Highway). 

Part 2; ruins of the Ahukini Terminal Railway

This bridge at Nawiliwili Stream in Lihue carried the 1930s era Ahukini Terminal Railway to Nawiliwili Bay.  It is now part of the Shoreline Access Trail. 

This bridge over Hawaii Route 583 approaching Wailua Falls was once part of an Ahukini Terminal Railway spur line to the company town of Opaeopaeilio.

As noted in Part 1 the northbound lanes of Hawaii Route 56 cross the Ahukini Terminal Railway bridge at the Wailua River via a prefabricated road deck.

Two Ahukini Terminal Railway Bridges can be found at Moikeha Canal in Kapaa.  The bridge in the foreground was a spur line which still has embedded narrow-gauge track in it.  The bridge in the background was part of the mainline which has been incorporated into the Ke Ala Hele Makalae Trail.