The fight over the proposed Corridor One commuter rail system has been a battle of wills and philosophies.

Now, it seems numbers might be on the side of the Cumberland County commissioners, who oppose what they see as a premature attempt to bring the rail service into their county.

Governing boards of 29 of the county's 33 municipalities have passed resolutions supporting the commissioners' position. Similar resolutions or letters have been issued by two of Cumberland's chambers of commerce, its three councils of government and several business leaders.

The commissioners' main concern is that there is not enough evidence the proposed Lancaster-to-Harrisburg-to-Mechanicsburg system would attract enough riders to be financially viable.

They repeatedly have called for a multi-year test on the East Shore's Amtrak lines before commuter rail is brought across the Susquehanna River.

To bolster their position, they have sent packets of the resolutions and letters backing their view to state officials, including Gov. Ed Rendell, and to federal officials who will decide on Corridor One funding.

"This is a Cumberland County stance," Commissioner Rick Rovegno said. "We're just saying that we want to explore different options for mass transit, and we're not going to be railroaded."

That stance is causing concerns on the other side of the river, where Dauphin County remains fully behind the project, Commissioner Nick DiFrancesco said.

DiFrancesco said he's at a loss as to why Cumberland's board has made it a priority to stall a project that he says has been thoroughly studied for more than a decade.

"This project is critically important," DiFrancesco said. "There's no downside to doing it. We can only benefit from this."

He called Cumberland's move risky and dangerous, and one that could jeopardize federal funding that's been set aside for the rail line.

The letters and resolutions also have gone to members of the Modern Transit Partnership, which is promoting Corridor One.

They haven't persuaded Gerald Morrison, MTP chairman, to drop the idea of a West Shore spur.

Morrison said the Cumberland commissioners "are making decisions in a vacuum" without getting all the facts. He said he still hopes that "Cumberland County will see the light" and back the full $87 million proposal.

"I've never seen an elected governmental body do this. They're actually attempting to kill this project," Morrison said.

It would be difficult, if not impossible, to change the parameters of the project, he said, because federal funding received for planning and engineering was predicated on Corridor One entering Cumberland.

He said the system would be tested before expanding into Cumberland because the Lancaster-to-Harrisburg branch would be built first and be in service 18 to 24 months before the West Shore extension. Backers want to start service by late 2008.

"We do not believe that a test run will give us any valuable input," DiFrancesco said, noting that much of the congestion is on the West Shore. "It's just imperative that we continue this project moving, and we're very concerned funding could be jeopardized because of what's going on."

Morrison also questioned whether the resolutions and letters reflect the attitudes of Cumberland residents. They might have been adopted mainly to please the county commissioners, he said.

"We're not accepting this at face value," Morrison said.

Cumberland Commission Chairman Bruce Barclay said the backing was sought to counter claims by Morrison and others that the commissioners aren't speaking for their constituents in the Corridor One debate.

Municipal boards that did not adopt the resolutions are those in Lemoyne and Wormleysburg and the townships of North Middleton and South Newton.

"There was information put out that we didn't have the support of the local elected officials and the business community," Barclay said. "Now, people can see we're not just making rash decisions."

Cooke Twp. Supervisor Sam Sangialosi, president of the Western Cumberland Council of Governments, said his group backed the commissioners because "there are too many open questions" regarding the rail plan.

Commissioners "are not beating us on the head on this issue," Sangialosi said.

Edward Messner, president and CEO of the West Shore Chamber of Commerce, said the chamber sided with the commissioners after meeting with Morrison's group and having its transportation committee study the issue.

"We probably spent as much time on this as we have on anything in the last 25 years," Messner said. "We made our own decision."

Morrison said Cumberland's opposition could be crippling because rail projects across the nation are competing for federal money.

"They are making it difficult for us to be funded," he said. "But we're not quitting. We're not giving up."

MATT MILLER: 249-2006 or mmiller@patriot-news.com