Italian defence industry group Finmeccanica said on Tuesday it had signed a contract worth $1.334 million (1.0 billion euros) to design, construct and operate the new driverless metro in Honolulu in Hawaii.

Through its companies Ansaldo STS and AnsaldoBreda, Finmeccanica signed the contract with HART (Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation) to supply the technology and vehicles for the line, the company said in a statement.

"The contract, signed by Ansaldo Honolulu Joint Venture, is for the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the new line for the city of Honolulu which will be around 32 kilometers (20 miles) long and have 21 stations" it said.

Finmeccanica said the design and construction work was scheduled to take eight years, with the first stretch of track in operation from 2015 and the entire line from 2019 to 2029.