Former City Councilman John DeSoto voted against rail in 1992 because it would not extend to Kapolei and 'Ewa. But now that the multibillion-dollar rail transit plan recommended by the mayor includes service to that area, he said he supports it.

"When I first heard it was going to Kapolei, I said, 'I am on,'" Desoto said yesterday. "A lot of people looked at me and said, 'You were the one who voted against it, so why are you going with it now?' ... We feel in Kapolei and the Wai'anae Coast that we're called the 'Second City' but we feel like we've been left behind.

"Many of the people on the Leeward side and the 'Ewa plains support this," he said.

DeSoto was among about a dozen people who voiced their opinion about an O'ahu mass transportation plan at a special meeting of the City Council yesterday.

The council called the meeting to discuss a transit recommendation from the city that outlined two options: a 20-mile rail route that would cost an estimated $3.6 billion and run from East Kapolei to Ala Moana Center, and a 28-mile rail system for an estimated $4.6 billion from Kapolei to Manoa.

The council is tasked with choosing a transportation plan by the end of the year.

'WE NEED THIS'

The council's transportation committee plans to continue discussions during a meeting scheduled for this afternoon.

Polly Grace, a Wai'anae resident for 45 years, said she supports rail, no matter what route is chosen.

"Wai'anae has so many paycheck-to-paycheck people who have to work outside of the Wai'anae Coast. We need this," she said.

Leeward resident Lorraine Martinez said she wants to see rail run "all the way from Kapolei to the university."

"You weren't afraid of cost before, so why now?" she said. Martinez told the council that sitting in traffic has become a fact of life for those living on her side of the island and they need relief.

While most residents said they supported rail, some opposed it.

Councilwoman Barbara Marshall grilled city chief transportation engineer Toru Hama-yasu about the study's ridership estimates. Hamayasu said that anywhere from 40,000 to 50,000 people a day will ride the rail system once the first segment is completed in 2012. He also estimated that by 2030, ridership could range from 90,000 for the shorter route to 120,000 for the longer one.

Marshall wanted to know how those numbers were derived. Hamayasu said it is based on a "simulation of how people behave in this city and based on 2005 data."

"It's always a guess, but it's an educated guess," Hamayasu said.

Marshall was concerned that the number may not be accurate or may represent a best-case scenario.

"Even if it's a very good guess, it doesn't seem like much for our money," Marshall said.

Councilwoman Ann Kobayashi also questioned ridership numbers.

FOR ALTERNATIVES

Some advocated for the council to choose a mass-transit alternative other than rail.

Dave Rolf of the Hawai'i Highway Users Alliance urged City Council members to choose an elevated toll highway.

"We'll be paying $4 billion to continue to get an 'F' grade in traffic," Rolf said. He said the transit study includes no evidence that rail would improve traffic in Honolulu.

"Council member Ann Koba-yashi asked a fundamental question: How many people are going to ride this thing?" said Rolf, whose association represents taxi businesses, travel industry firms and the Hawaii Automobile Dealers Association. "We don't even know if we're going to have 40,000 riders. Are we going to spend $4 billion to find out?" he said.

Cliff Slater, a strong opponent of a rail system, told council members that the cost estimate the city received for an elevated highway was "ridiculous."

The alternatives analysis stated that it would cost $2.5 billion to build a raised highway, but he said Tampa paid only $400 million for its system.

"I urge you to do some really hard questioning about this," he said.