A “smart card” system for collecting fares for the rail and TheBus would cost $58 million to build and would replace the barrier-free system Honolulu has planned for.

That’s according to the presentation InfraConsult‘s Simon Zweighaft is giving to the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation board.

An “open card” system would cost $66 million to build, and a cell-phone-app-reading system would cost about $72 million. Those capital costs are in 2011 dollars, so they haven’t been escalated. Of course, technology costs might come down in the years before the systems are constructed.

The operating costs would also be about $4 million more per year than the cost to pay inspectors to patrol rail stations looking for fare evaders if there are no gates.

The train will start running in 2016, so the three-year lead time on a fare collection system would require a decision in 2013. Of course, HART could decide to go with the barrier-free system for a few years to see how that goes.

More on the fare collection system coming soon.

(Photo by Flickr user Dylan Passmore)