After the city signed off on the rail contract with the Ansaldo partnership, valued at either $1.3 or $1.4 billion depending on the source, Ansaldo now says it is the largest contract in the company’s 150-year history.

So not only does it come as Ansaldo faces unprecedented corporate challenges, we now know it is the biggest job they’ve tackled. And, whether its relevant or not, likely the most distant from its home base.

By pushing the contract through in the face of a pending legal challenge and without any final funding commitment from the federal government, the city is again placed in a very awkward situation.

The timing makes it appear likely the signing was rushed in order to beat tomorrow’s initial hearing in federal court in the lawsuit challenging the adequacy of the environmental impact study’s alternative analysis.

You can see the argument being set up. “Yes, your honor, perhaps we were wrong and didn’t do a thorough job in the EIS, but now we’re too far along to turn back without dire financial consequences for the taxpayers of Honolulu.”

Pretty cynical, I know. But why else would the city be taking this kind of risk?