HONOLULU -- After failing to reach agreement last month, Honolulu council members on Wednesday revisited the issue of selecting technology for the city's $3.7 billion transit system.

In a preliminary vote, council members agreed to reconsider options including, rubber tire bus and magnetic levitation, options Mayor Mufi Hannemann's administration has rejected in favor of steel-wheel on steel-rail.

Council Chairwoman Barbara Marshall was absent for previous votes because of the death of her mother in Florida. Marshall said she favors studying all options in the draft environmental report for rail.

"Obviously we are not a unified body. Obviously we don't have any clear idea of what to do, and it seems to me as long as that exists, and as long as there are as many questions as there are we ought to keep the options opened," she said.

Including other technology options now may be moot because the mayor said he will veto any bill that is not for steel rail.

The transportation chairman to whose committee the bill goes to next is also a very strong rail supporter.

"I need to hear a convincing argument that we shouldn't go to steel-on-steel. While it will get a hearing in my committee it probably will not pass out of my committee," Councilman Nestor Garcia said.

Marshall said despite opposition, she is unwilling to give up the debate.

"I think it is worth any amount of time we can devote to it because it is the largest public works we have ever done, and i don't think we have seen the half of it frankly," Marshall said.

Council members have until mid July to select the technology for transit.