There is, in these bleak financial times, at least one thing to feel bullish about: public transportation.

Specifically, rail ridership appears to have taken off faster than expected in several cities that are relative newcomers to the world of rail. These include Phoenix, Salt Lake City and Charlotte, all of which have topped their own projections for the intake of fares.

That certainly should encourage this city's residents, who are on the verge of pledging the first millions to the planning of Honolulu's $5.4 billion, 20-mile elevated train connecting the West Side and Downtown.

It also should underscore the importance of maintaining the flow of tax money into the local coffers to finance the project. During a fiscal shortfall at the national and municipal levels, it's critically important to maintain Honolulu's competitive edge for the federal dollars needed to close the funding gap. And one way to do that is to demonstrate an unwavering revenue commitment on the home front, even through times when the take from taxes, predictably, falls short of the mark.

At the moment, ridership in Charlotte and Salt Lake City, which enjoyed similarly strong launches, is at a lower ebb, because the dip in fuel prices has reduced one key incentive for mass transit. But as the economy cycles upward again, so will the price of oil, further prodded by diminishing supplies and accelerating global demand.

It's the long-term trend that bears watching, and those signs point at the need for transit alternatives that are less reliant on fossil fuel for power.

The City Council should feel the imperative to get this project on a course for efficient development to minimize excess costs, the bane of Isle projects.

But Honolulu also has an important factor weighing in its favor: a high ridership already in place for its well-established bus system. Imagine the attraction of those riders to a train with the capacity to move more people, faster, to their destination.