The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) has awarded a $38.8 million contract with AECOM Technical Services, Inc. to design the rail transit project’s airport section of the elevated rail guideway.

AECOM is responsible for the design of the 5.2-mile portion of the rail guideway from Aloha Stadium to the Middle Street Transit Center in Kalihi. The company was given notice to proceed on the contract and is required to finish the design work by Spring 2013.

Following the scheduled completion of AECOM’s design work, a separate construction contract will be put out to bid for the airport section of the elevated guideway. Future contracts will also be awarded for the design and construction of rail stations along that particular segment of the rail route at Pearl Harbor, Honolulu International Airport, Lagoon Drive and Middle Street.

“With construction already underway along the first half of the rail route, the design contract for the airport portion of the rail guideway will keep us on schedule in building the entire rail system in a timely manner,” said Toru Hamayasu, HART’s interim executive director and CEO.

Subcontractors for the contract, including some locally-based, include KSF Inc. Structural Engineering,Wilson Okamoto Corp., Yogi Kwong Engineers LLC, Geolabs, Inc., Group 70 International Inc., PBR Hawaii & Associates Inc., Scientific Consultant Services Inc., and T.Y. Lin Associates.

The 20-mile rail transit system from East Kapolei to Ala Moana is expected to open in 2019.