Honolulu’s rail cars will have even more seating than anticipated. There will even be room for luggage, bikes and surfboards.

Today, the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation board of directors approved spending $1.75 million to put 800 more passenger seats in its rail cars.

This is a 25 percent increase from initial designs.

“We’re building this system for our customers, and they’ve made it clear that they want more seats on our trains,” HART Executive Director and CEO Dan Grabauskas said in a press release. “Adding more seating is part of our overall goal of making the transit experience as safe, reliable and comfortable as possible.”

The money for the extra seats will come out of the rail projects contingency funds, although officials say it will not change the overall cost of the project.

Honolulu’s rail system is designed to run the 20 miles from East Kapolei to the Ala Moana shopping center. It’s estimated to cost $5.26 billion.

—Nick Grube