After nine hours of public testimony involving more than 100 individuals, the Honolulu City Council last night pushed forward a bill to build a massive multibillion-dollar rail line on O'ahu.

The action means the council could give final approval to the long-debated transit proposal before Christmas.

After an avalanche of mostly favorable testimony, council members voted 7-2 to approve, after their second reading of the bill, to select some form of a fixed-rail system as the locally preferred alternative for a mass-transit project that the city estimates could cost between $3.8 billion and $4.6 billion.

Council members rejected two attempts to include consideration of managed, high-occupancy toll roads in the proposal. Instead, the bill that moved forward last night lists five possible alignments for a rail line that would begin in Kapolei or Kalaeloa (the former Barbers Point) and end at Ala Moana Center or the University of Hawai'i-Manoa.

Romy Cachola, Transportation and Planning Committee chairman, said he would schedule a final public hearing on the bill Thursday, clearing the way for the full council to take final action the following week, including the selection of a preferred rail route.

"We've got a lot of work to do yet," Cachola said, taking note of the many suggestions and questions raised about costs, alignment, ridership and other factors during yesterday's marathon session. "We've got to look at what we can afford and then decide what to build."

Some members of the public waited up to eight hours to testify for a maximum of three minutes during yesterday's hearing, which began at 9:30 a.m. and ended after 7 p.m.

FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE

Among those testifying were those in favor of the managed-lane alternative as well as those who either supported or opposed routing the proposed rail line to to Waikiki, Wai'anae, 'Ewa Beach, Manoa, Waipahu, Salk Lake, Ho-nolulu International Airport, Hawai'i Kai and even Waimanalo.

Representatives of university students, labor unions, big and small businesses, developers, retail merchants, state lawmakers, banks, architects, senior citizens, teachers, developers of shopping centers and bus riders all took their turn at the microphone to tell council members their thoughts on what's been called the largest public works project in the history of the state.

Debate was particularly sharp on whether the rail line should serve the more than 50,000 residents of the Salt Lake-Aliamanu area or a roughly equal number of workers in the Pearl Harbor-airport area. The city's proposed alignment calls for two stops in the airport area, but Cachola, whose district includes Salt Lake, said he would consider moving the proposed line farther mauka to Salt Lake, a heavily urbanized residential district.

Yesterday's testimony mostly urged council members to do something — anything — to deal with the island's increasing traffic congestion.

"Have some vision and have some guts to move forward," said retired urban planner Tom Papandrew. "You have the opportunity to go forward on a decision now so my children won't be sitting in this room 15 years from now still asking another council to get us a transit system."

'WE NEED HELP'

Tesha Malama said she went to the hearing yesterday as a concerned citizen from 'Ewa Beach. She urged council members to set aside their individual concerns and think about the entire island, especially those in Leeward and Central O'ahu, who are stuck daily in horrendous traffic jams.

"We need you guys to have the wisdom to make the hard decisions. We need for you to do the right thing for O'ahu and eventually the state," Malama said. "We need help."

Student leader Grant Teichman testified with a group of UH-Manoa students.

"Are we going to be building more parking structures or are we going to be building more classrooms?" he asked.

An online survey of 1,100 students, faculty and staff found that more than 85 percent supported rail coming to Manoa.

Rail would prove a better alternative for students who now park at school at 6 a.m. and sleep in their cars.

"I can't wait to graduate and help pay the tax," Teichman said, drawing a laugh from the crowded room.

Kailua resident Chad Taniguchi testified that he rides his bicycle to work downtown daily, a morning commute that takes him about an hour. He and his bike catch the city bus home.

Taniguchi said he supports transit even though it does not directly promise to improve his daily commute. "I support the whole 28-mile route that would include the airport and the university. Those are really key," Taniguchi said.

While council members repeatedly worried about the costs of the proposed project, many who testified said they considered transit a quality-of-life issue, one that would allow them to spend more time with their families.

"Many critics say this will cost too much money," said UH agriculture professor Brent Buckley. "Yes, these are staggering amounts of money, but I haven't heard anybody put a cost on all the time I lose on the road away from home. Is my time away from work nothing? I don't believe that."

Reach Mike Leidemann at mleidemann@honoluluadvertiser.com.