The action is about to start.

On Friday, the Utah Transit Authority released its final study into the environmental impact of the rail line that will carry commuters on a 44-mile route from Salt Lake City north to Pleasant View.

The report now goes before the Federal Transit Administration and if the agency signs off on its contents, UTA can start digging dirt.

"We are moving ahead," said Steve Meyer, who is overseeing the commuter rail project for UTA. "It's another hurdle we have cleared."

Assuming the feds sign off on the environmental study, UTA could start moving utility lines and buying 63 acres of land to build the six planned train stations in late April or early May, Meyer said.

UTA is also seeking federal permission to start buying the actual rail to avoid paying any future increases in the cost of steel.

Full construction is expected to begin sometime after September, once the federal government agrees on a funding plan.

UTA estimates commuter rail will cost $510 million without taking into account any future inflation. The price tag represents an increase of $14 million from the time of the draft environmental study, which was released in 2003.

Meyer said the difference is due to the rising price of steel and an increase in the amount Union Pacific is charging UTA to remove the railroad's track and signal equipment.

The money will come from a mixture of federal funds and a sales tax increase in Salt Lake, Davis and Weber counties.

Delays in finishing the environmental study have pushed back the planned opening of the transit line from the end of 2007 to the first six months of 2008. Federal officials wanted UTA to do further study on the impact of noise and the accessibility for disabled people.

Meyer said UTA is supporting a Federal Railroad Administration proposal to create a quiet zone around residential areas, prohibiting the use of the train horns. A decision on the quiet zones is expected in June.

UTA is also working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on a plan to mitigate the loss of 19.3 acres of wetlands.

Longtime UTA critic, Drew Chamberlain, has resigned himself to the fact that commuter rail is coming. But that doesn't mean he likes it.

"I wish we would just wise up and stop wasting our money on stupid transit projects," he said.

Chamberlain doesn't believe commuter rail can decrease the congestion on Interstate 15 and he argues a cheaper alternative would have been to place express buses in the carpool lane.

The environmental study estimates ridership at 5,900 on an average weekday in commuter rail's opening year, which would then grow to 12,600 by 2030.

Meyer said he expects the real ridership to be much higher. "It is the same model we used for light rail. It has proven to be a conservative estimate," he said.

UTA also estimates that commuter rail will add more than 38,000 jobs by 2030, with an influx in businesses around the train stops.

The transit service's ultimate plan is to extend commuter rail from Brigham City to Payson.

mcanham@sltrib.com