MBTA says to hell with Idaho

Sure, there's the whole verge-of-bankruptcy thing, but the Globe reports the MBTA is putting off the purchase of new commuter-rail locomotives because of "an ongoing battle between the two companies that were competing for the contract."

The T had been talking to a European company about building the engines in Kentucky, but Idaho's apparently mighty congressional delegation got the Federal Railway Administration to block that because the company would have built a couple of test models in Europe, which the feds said violated a "Buy America" clause in federal railroad funding rules. Why does Idaho care? The only other bidder was a manufacturer outside Boise.

The Globe says the T might reconsider seeking bids for the locomotives in a few months, when it has a better idea of its finances.