One of the key hurdles still remaining for the Honolulu rail project is the federal funding agreement that would cover about 30 percent of construction costs.

The Federal Transit Administration told me today that the project is still under review at the Department of Transportation and that the previous timeline still stands.

That timeline — a signed Full Funding Grant Agreement before the end of the year — would mean the administration needs to give Congress 30 days notice before Dec. 1. That’s about two and a half weeks away.

The FTA won’t say this, so I will: There’s no guarantee yet, but the mayoral election results and split decision in the federal lawsuit point to a decent likelihood that the deal will get signed.

— Michael Levine