The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation is still hoping to have a permanent executive director in place by March, and the agency’s headhunter is pushing to make it happen.

Human Resources Committee Chair Keslie Hui told his HART board colleagues today that the recruiter has communicated with more than 150 candidates around the globe, from Europe to Asian and South America.

Hui said the base salary for the new chief could come in between $175,000 and $400,000 — plus bonuses or any other benefits. Those compensation figures are based on the quality of the candidates interested in the job. It would make the rail CEO among the city’s highest-paid employees.

Hui told Inside Honolulu this afternoon that he hasn’t yet gotten a report on how many of those candidates have actually applied for the job. That information will likely be available at the next board meeting in February, since at that point the field should be winnowed to finalists if a hire is to be completed within weeks.