Mayor Bill Norrie, once an ardent opponent of an electric light-rail transit system for Winnipeg, now thinks a new $350-million version could be the answer to the city's worsening traffic congestion.

Norrie and civic works commissioner Rod McRae will examine a cheaper model of electrically- powered, light-rail transit cars usiig new technology at a Siemens Corp. plant in Dusseldorf, West Germany this week.

Norrie said Siemens, also active in the medical research field, approached the city with the transit proposal about a year ago through Cam MacLean, chairman of the St. Boniface Hospital Research Foundation.

The city has allocated about $12.5 million in its five-year capital budget for a $50-million rapid-transit system linking Southwest Winnipeg to the downtown. Using diesel buses, the corridor would parallel congested Pembina Highway.

The city is also planning to convert Graham Avenue into a combination bus-mall and transit loop servicing the entire city.

But Norrie has been unable to get the provincial and federal governments to chip in 75 per cent of the transit corridor's cost.

The mayor has said the city can't go it alone on either a busway or an electric, light-rail system similar to ones in Calgary and Edmonton.

He said he's going to West Germany to see the light-rail system for himself because of repeated pitches by Siemens officials and MacLean, who is chairman of the Forks Corp.

A light-rail system would be less environmentally damaging and cheaper, given Manitoba's abundant hydro-electric resources, he noted.

Norrie was one of the fiercest opponents of a light-rail system when it was first promoted by former mayor Stephen Juba in the early 1970s.

Juba cited opposition to the idea from city administrators and politicians as a major reason for his decision to bow out of politics after nearly two decades in office.

"When Juba suggested the light rail, gasoline was selling for 40 cents a gallon," noted Coun. Al Golden, a close friend of the former mayor.

"At that time, Norrie and the administration ridiculed it. We could have had a light-rail system in place by now for one-fourth of the $350 million if they had listened to Stephen Juba."

However, Norrie said concerns for the environment has grown dramatically in the last 15 years, justifying a renewed look at a cleaner transit alternative even if the initial costs are higher than a bus system.

Although it's too early to say if they city will go for a light-rail system, "we are looking into all possibilities," he said, adding he hopes the province and Ottawa will eventually participate.