It lasted only about an hour during the morning commute from Folsom, but it was, officials said, a sign that the region's 16-year-old rail transit system is growing up.

The occasion was the first commute day on Regional Transit's new 7.4-mile rail line extension to Folsom.

Transit officials, having watched commuters boarding trains in the predawn moonlight at four new stations along Folsom Boulevard, pronounced themselves pleased with the first day's ride. "I'm impressed with the number of riders in both directions," RT spokesman Mike Wiley said." People seemed to know how to use the line."

The rail line, which officially opened Saturday, extends into uncharted territory for RT, the booming yet sprawling suburbia of east Sacramento County where cars and asphalt long have dominated.

The line connects downtown Folsom to downtown Sacramento, 23 miles away.

RT officials said they did not count riders Monday, but from the nearly 500 personal vehicles parked in the four new station lots by mid-morning, the rail line clearly has taken a step toward enticing commuters out of their cars.

Fred Parenzin of Folsom is among them. The new stations finally bring the line close enough to home for him to give it a try. He lives 1.2 miles from the Glenn Station in Folsom. "I wouldn't have caught it before; I'm too lazy," he said. He drove to the station Monday, but said he may soon pull out his bike.

Sandy Williams drove her scooter two miles to a station in Folsom. "I've been waiting for light rail for years," she said.

She said her total commute time Monday was 30 minutes, compared with 45 minutes when she drives Highway 50.

She's fortunate, though. Light rail drops her off yards from the front door of her Franchise Tax Board office. "No muss, no fuss," she reported after her Monday commute. "I didn't care what was happening on the freeway. No listening to traffic reports!"

Derek Doun, a midtown Sacramento resident on the "reverse commute" to Intel in Folsom, used his light-rail commute to type on his laptop.

"I usually spend a couple hours on the computer at home, (so) if I do that here it's zero commute time," he said.

Not that all commuters enjoyed such a placid ride.

Some took trains that stopped at the Sunrise station and forced them to wait another 15 minutes for another train.

One commuter reports the ticket machine rejected his $20 bill.

When Gold River resident Denise Schmidt boarded her regular 7:14 a.m. train at Sunrise station, there were no seats left. "I didn't think it would be full the first day," she said, two hands clutching a pole near the door.

The next time, Schmidt said, she'll probably wait 15 minutes and take a train that starts at Sunrise rather than in Folsom, so she can be assured of getting a seat.

Schmidt noticed another difference Monday. There were more people wearing suits and ties, an early indication that the line may draw more professionals aboard.

Brian Weishahn, a downtown state employee from Folsom, was still knotting his tie as he grabbed a seat in old Folsom. Light rail may not save commute time, but it saves on downtown parking, Weishahn said.

The financial deal is all the more sweet, thanks to a $20 monthly pass subsidized by the state, he said.

Marilyn Shearer of Folsom also was among the rookie rail commuters, and she reports she did pretty well except for a minor slip-up at the end.

She transferred from light rail to a bus at the 65th Street station, but "we kind of forgot to pull the buzzer when we wanted to get off" the bus, she said.

The driver took pity and stopped mid-block for her. "That tells you how much we've ridden transit."

Shearer's drive to work ranges from 45 minutes to an hour depending on road traffic. Monday's light rail and bus ride added up to 55 minutes, she said, but is worth another try.

RT officials still face some major issues with their new line. As commuters figured out the new line Monday, RT officials struggled to figure out how to finish paying for the rail extension.

The project, which includes an as-yet unfinished extension downtown to the I Street train depot, is an estimated $20 million over budget, RT officials reported last month. RT has not yet found the funds to cover those costs.

RT General Manager Beverly Scott met with Federal Transit Administration officials in San Francisco last week, and says she asked them if they would fund half of the overrun costs.

FTA officials told The Bee on Monday they are considering Scott's request, and will have an answer on how much they are willing to help in a few weeks.

The project had been budgeted last year at $237 million but has grown to $255 million, officials estimate.

The causes of the cost overrun, according to RT's Wiley, include higher-than-expected purchase prices for land to build tracks and stations along the Folsom line, as well as a rainy spring that resulted in construction delays and overtime work.

RT also had to slow the planning process and move the downtown Sacramento line after federal courthouse officials - leery of a terrorist attack - complained the light-rail line would run too close to their building.

And, workers digging into city streets discovered numerous utility and fiber-optic lines that had not been listed on any map.