Since the idea of commuter rail service from the Allegheny Valley to Pittsburgh was pitched more than a decade ago, the project has been the Little Enginge that Couldn't.

The concept has been studied and studied again, but it never advanced past the drawing board, even with the specter of construction paralysis on Route 28, the principal commute route for valley residents.

Now there is new enthusiasm for the project, which has been wed to Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's ambitious plan to redevelop the Allegheny riverfront from the Strip District to Highland Park.