Samantha Star snapped a photo of some burning Green Line tracks in Coolidge Corner around 6 p.m. today.

And now the state loses out on $145 million in federal stimulus funds; money was to have gone to a fancy-shmancy Silver Line extension through Roxbury and Mattapan that state officials tried to foist on the neighborhoods as a fait accompli.

Lawmakers ask state to withdraw 28X proposal (from the Dorchester Reporter a couple weeks ago).

Steve Poftak is sad.

Earlier:
Gloria Fox, Byron Rushing objected to bus cramming.

The Herald reports Republican Jack E. Robinson was outside Park Street last night, calling for the feds to pour enough money into the MBTA to eliminate fares and to spend $3 billion on a bullet train to Springfield.

On bikes.

Paul Levy notes New York's equivalent of the MTA is emblazoning the word "optimism" on its equivalent of CharlieTickets, wonders what the T could put on our passes:

Still waiting

A broken drawbridge.

From the T web page:

Newbury/Rock #168 (11:06am ib) experiencing over 30 min delays due to Saugus Drawbridge stuck open. 11/19/2009 12:12 PM

So the train left at 11:06, and the alert was issued at 12:12. Yah, I'd say that's well over 30 minutes.

Somebody needs some help!

A report on the Red Line extension of the Harvard through Alewife Tunnels. The next time you hop on a train at Porter Square and I have study the speed limit and the curves inside the tunnels. Take the inbound train from Porter going towards Harvard Station. Is your safety at risk?

Here's More...
YouTube Video
http://tinyurl.com/RLTunnelExtension

One of these ads is from the Red Line and one is from the Orange Line. Can you match the ad to the line? Answer after the jump.

The MBTA wasn't running outbound trains between Park Street and JFK this afternoon because of "a power problem in the downtown area," according to announcements that played in between the usual announcements imploring riders to pay their fares and to say something if they see something.

I was at South Station when an inbound train pulled in around 2:30 p.m., emblazoned with "Out of Service" displays. But it stopped and then, after a minute or so, the doors opened. Like the well trained sheep we are, everybody got on - and suddenly realized the train smelled like burning garbage.

"It's just a trash fire on the tracks, not the train," an MBTA cop reassured us. "It's a trash fire, not the train."

More cops appeared on the platform. Then the doors closed and we left.