Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson's administration scored a victory in its push to have two light-rail stations along a yet-to-be-built rail connection between the city's intermodal hub and the Delta Center.

The extension, which will eventually shuttle commuter rail riders from the intermodal hub, along 600 West near 250 South, to downtown, is running on a tight schedule, and there are growing fears it might not be completed by the time commuter rail comes online in 2008.

Anderson's administration pushed Thursday to move the design work of the extension along in order to meet the 2008 deadline. City Council members, however, were skeptical of approving the design work because several favor only having one station along the extension, saying another is unnecessary and would only slow the train down.

"It is excessive for there to be three stations within two blocks of each other," Dakota Lofts resident Matt Manes said in written public comments on the issue. "TRAX will be even slower as a result of all the stopping and will make the line a less-efficient form of transportation; this wastes resources and tax money."

Proponents argue two stations are needed to help spur transit-oriented development in the area. A two-stop scenario would put a station at 125 S. 400 West and another at 525 W. 200 South.

Some council members wondered why the city would want to pay for designing two stations instead of one if, in the end, there was only going to be a single station.

The difference between designing for one station instead of two was $50,000 — money some City Council members didn't want to spend. Others noted that if the city decides on one station, it might not be in the location of either of the two station designs, so the city then would be wasting roughly $100,000.

"Somebody tell me why we ought to be spending $100,000 now when this may not be the design at all," Councilman Dale Lambert said.

Councilman Dave Buhler was similarly opposed to designing for two stations, especially if the majority of the council members only want one.

"I would rather just have us say it's going to be designed for one station," he said.

But a majority of council members disagreed, and in a 4-to-3 vote gave Anderson's administration the go-ahead to design for two stations.

Whether the majority will hold ultimately is unclear, but council members said they wanted to get the design process started given the tight deadline. The Planning Commission is to consider the issue Nov. 30.

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