HONOLULU (AP) Honolulu must contribute more money to help construct the city's rail line before getting any of the $744 million in federal funding that has been withheld from the project.

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports that a Federal Transit Administration spokeswoman said May 7 the agency is insisting the city provide more money.

Honolulu must commit $25 million in city funds toward rail construction in the fiscal year that begins July 1. The city also must commit $92 million more in the next seven years before the federal government will resume funding the project.

The cost of the rail project has skyrocketed from about $5.2 billion to about $9.2 billion, forcing city officials to seek bailouts from the Hawaii Legislature in 2015 and 2017 that totaled billions of dollars.

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