It makes more sense to begin building Honolulu's commuter rail line between Pearl City and Downtown, according to one member of the City Council.

Current plans call for constructing the first phase of the $4.28 billion rail system between East Kapolei and Waipahu where fewer businesses and residences would be displaced.

But Council member Charles K. Djou said yesterday that having a working segment that runs into urban core would be advantageous if the city runs out of money before the project is completed.

Djou said a segment that allows for travel between town and Pearl City would help bring traffic relief to all O'ahu roadways and allow the city to confront possible legal challenges from Downtown businesses affected by the project early on in the construction process.

The city plans to start work on the rail line in late 2009. Limited service between West Loch and Waipahu would start in late 2013, and full service to Ala Moana would begin by the end of 2018.

"The whole purpose of this rail system is it is supposed to relieve traffic congestion in town. That's where most of the traffic congestion is," Djou said at Honolulu Hale. "This is where the rail system is needed and this is where the first phase should be built."

It is at the discretion of the city where to start construction, and Djou said he hopes the public will urge the administration to begin building a route that runs Downtown.

He questioned who would ride a rail system that started in East Kapolei and ran to Waipahu when, he said, most residents are looking for an alternative way to get into town.

Djou, who has declared his intention to run for Congress, said he respects the will of the majority of voters who supported rail but he does not think O'ahu residents can afford the project right now.

The city administration said the public will have a chance to voice their concerns and suggestions during the public comment period on the draft environmental impact statement that starts at 9 a.m. tomorrow at Kapolei Hale.

"We're well aware of Council member Djou's need to enhance his public image in light of his congressional ambitions, but it's clear that his endless political games and publicity stunts contribute nothing of substance to this discussion," said Bill Brennan, press secretary for Mayor Mufi Hannemann.

"Our ongoing message to Council member Djou is stop always looking for ways to delay implementing our overdue rail project, get on board with the majority of his council colleagues and get in step with what the majority of the people on O'ahu voted for rail now."

Council chairman Todd K. Apo said Djou's proposal wouldn't work, in part because a base yard needs to be built in an area with ample space to service the trains.

Apo said the project should start as the city has planned it but added that work could be done simultaneously on segments that eventually met up.

"I understand his concept in trying to identify the areas that are most heavily used but we still need to build a realistic system for all with all the pieces necessary for operation," Apo said. "I have not heard a reason why portions of the project could not be built in parallel. Those are the types of realistic options we need to be discussing."

Djou's proposal comes while the council is still deciding the rail system's route. On Nov. 20 the council deferred action on measures that would change the route to include Pearl Harbor and Honolulu International Airport instead of the Salt Lake route.

Changing the route would break a commitment by the city to the Salt Lake community, which lobbied for the current train route in early 2007. That's when council member Romy M. Cachola, who represents Salt Lake, cast a swing vote to keep the rail project alive.

A commuter rail system that runs past Pearl Harbor and the airport would cost more to build and maintain, but carry more passengers and alleviate more traffic, according to the city's recent draft environmental study. The change would add about $220 million to the project's $4.28 billion price tag.