Have you visited The Hot Seat? It's our new opinion page blog that brings in your elected leaders and people in the news and lets you ask the questions.

Mayor Mufi Hannemann, pictured at right, was the featured guest on The Hot Seat this past Wednesday and answered questions from readers regarding the multi-billion-dollar rail transit system. An excerpt of that Hot Seat session is printed below. To see the full conversation visit The Hot Seat blog at blogs.honoluluad vertiser.com and click on the comments under the posting titled: In The Hot Seat: Mayor Mufi Hannemann. (Names of questioners are screen names given during the live online chat.)

Ni: All right, my question for Mufi is whether he thinks the light rail will be worth doing if we only do the mini version, instead of the full version extending from Kapolei to UH-Manoa. (Personally, I think it's go big or go home).

Mayor Mufi Hannemann: I would say I personally agree, but we really need to start somewhere.

Joshua: I'd like to ask Mayor Hannemann (about) the details of financing the rail, specifically the private side of paying for it. Did we ever get any private corporations willing to invest in the rail to help offset the price tag? Also, please provide more info on how well the bus system will integrate with a rail. People are still seeing the two as separate entities, thus the opposition.

Hannemann: Please check the Alternatives Analysis for the details, Chapter 5. The GET (general excise tax) and FTA (Federal Transit Administration) funds will pay for the 20-mile route. No private funding is needed at this time. The 28-mile route will need greater assistance from (Washington) D.C. and the private sector.

Natty and Bill Prescott in Nanakuli: Will there be adequate parking spaces at loading areas and will they be free? And has anyone taken a public survey to determine whether a sufficient number of people will use the planned transit system?

Hannemann: Not all stations will have parking or pull-over spaces. Parking spaces that will be available will be free, or there may be a nominal charge. The survey that we did showed that half the O'ahu respondents will ride rail. In fact, 64 percent of those ages 18 to 34 say they will ride.

Ptosis: What happened to the hybrid buses? I saw a new diesel the other day and was under the impression that all future buses are to be hybrids.

Hannemann: Our most recent order of buses were all hybrid-electric. That will continue to be our goal.

Jay: Mr. Mayor, thank you for taking the time to answer questions. With that said, I'd like to ask you how long will the rail take to build? Do you foresee traffic getting worse during the building stages?

Bob From Kailua: Please just build it already. If they had done this in '91 we would be riding. Why does everything take so long?

Hannemann: Our goal is to break ground in 2009. We hope to have the first segment completed by 2012. We believe it will take five more years beyond 2012 to complete 20 miles.

During the construction phase, there will be some inconvenience. The advantage of building from the west side of O'ahu is that there will be less of a construction impact.

To Bob: It's important that history not repeat itself on the City Council. The longer we delay, the more we're going to pay, and the longer we'll suffer.

Rick: As you know, Mayor Hannemann, when doing construction in Hawai'i, there are always cost overruns and delays. Will you need to increase taxes to pay for these change orders, or is there a contingency fund? Will we have to take from Peter to pay Paul? Will the feds help us?

Hannemann: The estimated cost contains 25 percent contingency for change orders. We used the latest unit costs that counted last year's big cost increases on some material. I do not anticipate any tax increases to cover these possible change orders because of the contingency funds. The feds will help us and participate with the contingency.

Ptosis: Who is building the train system? Is it going to be the Siemens with the overhead wires (as it is in Portland)?

Hannemann: We have not yet selected the technology or the manufacturer. We will do this through an open and competitive process. We have ruled out overhead wires as a power source.

Jeff: 1. We all know that public transportation is a major terrorist target. How much of the projected cost is to be used toward protecting the one line from being targeted by terrorists?

1b. When the line goes down, from a terrorist strike, an electricity outage, or just an accident, what means will be used to shuttle stranded passengers?

Hannemann: In case of a power failure, for whatever reason, battery power will bring the train to the nearest station.

Jeff: "Starting somewhere" is just one way of hiding the true cost. Will all populations that need it be served? Student population? Tourist/Waikiki population? Central O'ahu population? Will transit improvements to other areas of the island be ignored because there is no additional funding? Or should that cost be included in the true cost of what the rail transit option will cost?

Hannemann: Nothing is hidden. This process and the costs associated with rail have been open and public. The rail is designed to serve the corridor identified by the O'ahu Metropolitan Planning Organization (OMPO) where the population and employment are concentrated, and, therefore, where the system is most needed. In designing the system, we are being very mindful of the possibility of future expansion and connecting to other areas. See the Alternatives Analysis for further details.

James: Mr. Mayor, I have a pair of question sets. I would have liked to be able to ask them separately, but time is not on my side now, so I'll ask them together.

1. During our summers, HECO already asks us to conserve power. Given the drain on the power grid that a rail system would produce, are our current power plants enough to power it, or will we need to build another power plant? If the latter, what sort of power plant will be built, where will it be located, and how much would it cost?

2. Why, if rail is not already a foregone conclusion, is the revenue generated by the .5 percent GET increase applicable only to the rail option? Would it not have made more sense to have it available to whatever option was selected?

Hannemann: We have had ongoing dialogue with HECO from the outset of this process, and HECO says it can support the power needed for rail.

If I had my way, we would not be waiting for the AA (Alternative Analysis) study and the selection of the LPA (Locally Preferred Alternative) by the City Council. So rail is not a foregone conclusion.

And this is the first time the GET has been raised in more than 40 years. The Legislature stated, and I agree, that this tax surcharge can be only used for a fixed guideway system on O'ahu.

Simple: Mr. Mayor, you keep referring to the Alternatives Analysis. Would you mind highlighting those other alternatives? Could you provide an answer to why the rail is better than the other alternatives? Without the political speak, please.

Hannemann: No Build is an alternative, but not an acceptable one.

TSM, or expanding our bus fleet, is another, but will not be effective and will cost more than rail to operate because of higher labor and operational costs.

Managed Lane or toll roads are neither family friendly nor environmentally friendly. Working families will find it difficult to pay the daily tolls during rush hour along with higher gasoline prices.

Therefore, fixed guideway is the best alternative ... the most cost-effective and environmentally sound means of moving large numbers of people in an integrated multi-modal system.

BSug: Mr. Mayor, if we do start on rail, what are your plans to get people to and from it; will we expand on our bus system to get people to the stations?

Hannemann: Six hundred buses will be used to support rail. That compares with today's fleet of 525 buses. More bus transit centers are being built to expedite express bus service, such as those in Kalihi, Mililani and Wai'anae. In the past year, we have broken ground for these three centers.

Frank: Mayor Hannemann, maybe I missed something. Do the citizens of Hawai'i get to approve or disapprove the rail system by vote? Or is it up to only the City Council? What I want to know is do we get to vote on whether we want the system?

Hannemann: People are speaking through their elected officials. The governor, the majority of both houses of the state Legislature, our entire congressional delegation, seven of nine Council members and yours truly have ALL come out in support of a rail system for O'ahu. In this recent election, nine of 10 candidates for the 2nd Congressional District in the primary, both Republican and Democrats, when surveyed, stated they were pro-rail. Both Sen. (Daniel) Akaka and Congressman (Ed) Case reaffirmed their support of rail in their election. So it's clear that the individuals who have been elected to office by the people are representing the majority view.

Gerry H: Dear Mr. Mayor, referencing your own golden words "Do we need it? Can we afford it? And can we maintain it?" I wonder if you can put these words in proper context with the plans for the new rail system? I believe that at least two out of the three questions will be answered with a resounding "no." However, I would like you to comment on your own words. Big mahalo, for your response.

Hannemann: We can't afford not to have it. And the longer we delay, the more we're going to pay, and the traffic congestion will only grow worse and worse. Remember Sept. 5, "Black Tuesday" ... when automobile traffic could not move on our freeways. The negative impact that day was felt throughout O'ahu.

Scott in Kaimuki: I am fine with building the rail. However, I am not fine with the $120 million yearly maintenance fee that will cost the taxpayers. In order to cut down on maintenance costs for the rail, I suggest we build convenience stores at each station such as a 7-Eleven or snack shops. This way, the rent that these stores will pay will significantly cut down on maintenance costs for operating the rail system.

Hannemann: That's an excellent idea about having convenience stores in the train stations to generate revenue. It's all part of what I want to emphasize with transit-oriented development. Operating and maintenance costs are NOT estimated to be $120 million. We estimate it to be $61 million in addition to the cost of operating the buses. Revenues from convenience stores can certainly offset that cost. That is not possible with a toll viaduct.

Taxpayer: Mr. Mayor, what specifically do you not like about the Tampa reversible toll system? Given that it would be so much cheaper and faster to build and maintain, it just seems like a superior option. Also, in a blackout caused by earthquakes, hurricanes or a terrorist attack, the train would be useless, but the toll road could be used by emergency crews.

Hannemann: Toll roads will not be affordable for working-class families who will have to pay as much as $8 each way during peak-hour traffic on top of higher gasoline prices. Environmentally speaking, toll roads will be a visual blight compared to a rail line and do nothing to eliminate harmful auto emissions. The thought of 20,000 cars emptying into downtown Honolulu with nowhere to go does not make sense because the congestion will only move and make things even worse. And finally, it's not true to say that toll roads pay for themselves. The Tampa reversible lane is not being paid for from its toll revenues. It's the old toll road under the viaduct is subsidizing it. In fact, Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio is now promoting a light rail option for her city.

Ptosis: Thanks, Mufi, for being on the "Seat of Heat"! It took guts. Mahalo nui loa!