Mayor Seeks Funding For Passenger Train

Mayor Brent Coles is asking the City Council for $100,000 to test whether a European train running passengers around the area is popular enough for long-term operation.

Coles returned Sunday from a German factory that makes RegioSprinters: diesel-powered trains holding up to 174 people. Coles wants to bring one to Boise for up to six months.

He will ask the council for $100,000 toward a demonstration car running between Boise’s Micron Technology Inc. plant and Meridian.

It could run on existing Union Pacific Railroad track and stop at points such as Micron, the Boise Depot, Boise Towne Square and Meridian. Siemens Transportation Systems, the manufacturer, is taking a RegioSprinter on a tour of 15 U.S. cities in hopes of attracting buyers.

It will stay a few days in each city, but Boise so far is not on the list.