A first vote by the City Council on whether to realign Honolulu's commuter rail line to Honolulu International Airport and Pearl Harbor instead of Salt Lake could come as early as Wednesday.

The debate over the train's route is expected to be contentious as various communities fight for a route favorable to them.

Under Bill 64 introduced this week, the route of the planned elevated commuter rail line from East Kapolei to Ala Moana would bypass Salt Lake in favor of the airport. The bill, introduced by council members Todd Apo and Charles Djou, would renege on an agreement between the city and Salt Lake community made more than a year ago.

Some longtime Salt Lake community members yesterday expressed disappointed with the effort to change the route.

"It's unfortunate that this is being done," said Grant Tanimoto, former chairman of the Salt Lake area neighborhood board. "I don't think there's any real policy reason to revisit this issue after we've gone down this path a couple of years.

"There was strong community support for this route. I think the community support is still there. Whether they can generate that support again on such short notice, I don't know."

The Salt Lake route was the product of a political compromise to win the support of Councilman Romy Cachola. Cachola, who represents the Salt Lake area, held the swing vote when the council approved the project in 2007. He threatened to vote against rail unless it was routed through Salt Lake.

Mayor Mufi Hannemann, who originally proposed an airport route, said he welcomed a debate about whether to switch the route. However, Hannemann said, he remains concerned about how the city will pay for the more expensive airport route, and whether that change could delay construction plans.

"This is a great opportunity now to hear from those who would like for us to keep it along Salt Lake Boulevard, and for those of us who would like to see it go along the airport route," Hannemann said. "The bottom line is that's great. We have an opportunity to continue to put this on the front burner of people who would like to see this rail system."

The airport route costs about $200 million more than the current $4.3 billion Salt Lake route. However, those higher costs would be offset by higher ridership and other benefits, said Apo.

"For our broader island community, it makes more sense to initially serve Pearl Harbor and the airport, and the industrial area around the airport," he said.

The bill is expected to get its first reading at Wednesday's City Council meeting. If there's enough support, it could be up for final passage sometime in January, Djou said. The council needs to make the change quickly to prevent delaying the project.

Cachola yesterday said the city needs to follow through with its commitment to Salt Lake.

"The dust (from the election) has barely settled, and now we're going to switch the alignment from Salt Lake to the airport," he said. "The actions of the council, by doing this, is very deceptive. People in Salt Lake who voted in support for rail believed that the rail would go to Salt Lake."

Djou and Apo said a Salt Lake spur could still someday be built, if added money can be found in the future.

"It's not that Salt Lake is a bad idea. It's that the airport is a better idea," Djou said.

The city plans to start construction late next year, with limited service between West Loch and Waipahu starting in November 2013. Service between East Kapolei and Pearl Highlands would begin a year later. Full service to Ala Moana would begin by the end of 2018.

Switching the route to the airport could help build support for the train, which on Tuesday survived a voter referendum.

Makiki retiree James Miyashiro, 70, yesterday said the Salt Lake route doesn't make sense.

"I kind of supported (the train), but I didn't like it going through Salt Lake," he said. "The airport and Pearl Harbor are where the majority of people are going.

"Going through Salt Lake is crazy."

To change the train's route back to the airport, the council would need at least five votes. The likelihood of switching the route to the airport increased after Djou, who had opposed rail, said he was willing to switch his vote to support the project.

If he and others are successful in steering rail to the airport, the city would be breaking a commitment made to the Salt Lake community. The community agreed to defer the widening of Salt Lake Boulevard along with $30 million in federal highway funds with the understanding that the widening of Salt Lake Boulevard would be done concurrently with the transit construction.

Support for the train in Salt Lake is not unanimous. However, the effort to move the route to the airport is likely to generate a backlash from some Salt Lake residents.

"I think it's a dishonorable thing they're doing," said Howard Shima, an 81-year-old Salt Lake resident. "Now, since they're going to shift back to the airport, we've lost that $30 million. The community has lost that and (the widening) won't be completed in my lifetime."

According to a draft environmental impact statement released Sunday, the planned Salt Lake route will cost $4.3 billion, including $821 million to cover contingencies. The study found the project is affordable using existing state transit tax surcharges and federal funding.

The study said more federal money would be needed to fund an airport route, which would cost $4.5 billion. However, that figure includes $862 million in contingency costs. Excluding that cushion, the airport route's estimated cost is $3.8 billion, according to the study.

Apo said the city could rely on a portion of that buffer as well as added federal money and possibly new state money to pay for the costlier airport route.

Councilwoman Barbara Marshall yesterday had no comment on plans to change the train's route. Councilman Donovan Dela Cruz said he wants to know more about the costs and benefits of the various train routes before making a decision on the route.

"I just want to see the details," he said. "You want to be able to justify whether we leave it at Salt Lake or why we need to move it.

"I'm not closed to the idea (of an airport route). I just want to make sure that's going to be the best decision."