Silver Line not on track for a bailout

Last week, the Globe reported a new and significant snag in the last phase of the Silver Line project, the controversial 1.1-mile tunnel under downtown Boston intended to link Roxbury with Logan International Airport.

The Federal Transit Administration is concerned that the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is broke and cannot afford its 40 percent share of the estimated $1.5 billion costs without sacrificing existing bus, train, and rail service. As a result, the feds plan to downgrade the project in February, when the next list of federally funded projects is published, several officials said last week. That means the T cannot progress to a final design unless officials can prove the state has fixed its disastrous finances.

So if the T has no money, could President-elect Barack Obama's stimulus plan cover the costs? Obama wants to use large-scale public works projects to stimulate the flagging economy, and the Patrick administration has been making a list of road and transit projects that might qualify when the rules are established.

So far, the answer is no for the Silver Line tunnel. The project is not on the state's list, said Klark Jessen, a spokesman for Bernard Cohen, the transportation secretary. The state has yet to release a full list, but Jessen said planners wanted projects that are closer to being "shovel-ready."

No overnight parking
Have you ever tried to use commuter rail to Logan International Airport? It should be easy, right?

But odds are, you couldn't do it for an overnight trip unless you live within walking distance of a train station, and can schlep your luggage, or have a friend willing to drop you off there.

Joanne Fraser, of Scituate, pointed this out in an e-mail to the Globe. She said she loves the year-old Greenbush commuter line, but would use it more often if she could leave her car in the parking lot overnight.

"How silly not to be able to use the train to connect to the Silver Line or [Amtrak] Acela train for trips," she wrote.

The honor boxes at commuter rail stations only allow drivers to pay by the day. So if you leave your car overnight, you're asking for a ticket.

Joe Pesaturo, the MBTA spokesman, said the lots are not staffed overnight, and parking is prohibited in those hours for liability reasons. He said overnight parking is allowed in several subway garages and ferry yards, which could work for passengers such as Fraser if she is willing to take the Quincy ferry directly to Logan, the Red Line from Braintree, or some other route with an overnight option.

That's fine, but the T should do more to allow overnight parking at all commuter rail lots, especially with the price of airport tunnel tolls expected to double in the next few months. Taking commuter rail to South Station and the airport should be promoted by the T as part of the "No Brainer" ad campaign.

Speaking of parking, the T still will not say how many people have been using commuter rail lots since parking rates went up by $2 per day in mid-November. Pesaturo said "meaningful data" will be available this week.

In the meantime, the T is testing an improvement to the antiquated parking pay boxes. A pilot at the Kingston commuter rail station and the boat yards in Quincy and Hingham allows passengers to register their credit card with a pay-by-phone system. Riders dial in and then punch in their parking space number.

Toll-taker losses, gains
The Massachusetts Turnpike Authority announced last week that 20 toll-takers had accepted voluntary layoffs as part of a program to shed 100 toll takers.

But some of those who stick around will be getting fatter paychecks. The authority posted nine job openings this month for "senior toll collectors," who make $58,749.02 per year, or about $5,000 more than the highest paid regular full-time toll takers. The jobs will be filled in-house.

Jennifer Flagg, chief administrative officer, said the jobs, which have some supervisory responsibilities, had been unfilled for some time, forcing the authority to pay out more overtime. She said the position is required under contract. She does not yet know the financial impact.

Please send complaints, comments, or story ideas to starts@globe.com The column and a listing of major road closures and other transportation advisories can be found at www.boston.com/starts.