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Honolulu’s City Council will keep debating whether to cap how much money from a five-year GET extension should go to its cash-hungry rail project.

Starting rail in sections would help some riders, but cost more in the long run.

The $6.6 billion project hangs in the balance until Honolulu’s City Council votes on a 5-year tax extension to cover a $1 billion-plus deficit.

Lots of money is being spent in the western U.S. to build rail lines. From Denver to LA to Honolulu, federal officials want to know whether the FTA is doing a good job overseeing those projects.

UPDATED: The City Council Budget Committee moves along the GET surcharge extension proposal, but with a cap on how much of it could be spent on rail.

The $6.6 billion project still faces a $1 billion-plus deficit, but the latest construction bids are within current projections.

The mayor said he wants the council to act quickly to bail out the cash-strapped project, but his political rival says there are still too many questions.

The Federal Transit Administration is holding back the next allotment of $250 million until the City Council passes a five-year GET surcharge extension, the mayor’s office says.

UPDATED The Italian rail car manufacturer was recently acquired by Hitachi, which HART Chairman Don Horner considers a positive for the city’s $6.6 billion project.

Cost overruns and a need for more money give City Council members leverage to exert more influence over the $6.6 billion rail project.