List of Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority yards

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority uses a number of yards and facilities for maintenance and storage of its road and rail fleets.

Active yards edit

Bus edit

Location of MBTA bus facilities
1
Albany Street Garage
2
Arborway Yard
3
Cabot Garage
4
Charlestown and Somerville
5
Everett Shops
6
Fellsway Garage
7
Lynn Garage
8
North Cambridge Carhouse
9
Quincy Garage
10
Southampton
11
Watertown Yard

Many of these facilities are former streetcar carhouses that were gradually converted to trackless trolley and bus use, although some like Southampton (built 2004) are of recent construction. Of the former streetcar carhouses, only Arborway and Watertown were Green Line yards during part of the MBTA era. Everett was an Orange Line yard until 1975.

Name Location[1] Routes served[1]
Albany Street Garage   Albany Street, South End, Boston Local, Mass Pike Express, and crosstown routes
Arborway Yard   Washington Street, Jamaica Plain, Boston Local bus routes; former terminus of the Green Line E branch
Cabot Garage   Dorchester Avenue, South Boston Local bus routes
Charlestown Garage   Arlington Avenue, Charlestown, Boston Local bus routes
Everett Shops   Broadway, Everett Heavy repair for buses and for subway components; former Orange Line terminus and yard
Fellsway Garage Salem Street, Medford Local bus routes
Lynn Garage   Western Avenue, Lynn Local bus routes; North Shore express routes
North Cambridge Carhouse   Massachusetts Avenue, North Cambridge Formerly storage and maintenance for Harvard-based trolleybus routes; being converted for battery buses
Quincy Garage   Hancock Street, Quincy Quincy-based local bus routes
Somerville Garage at Charlestown   Arlington Avenue, Charlestown, Boston Local bus routes
Southampton Bus Maintenance Facility   Southampton Street, South Bay, Boston Silver Line dual mode buses; local bus routes
Watertown Yard   Galen Street, Watertown Midday layover for local bus routes; former terminus of the Green Line A branch and Green Line heavy maintenance facility

Subway edit

 
 
 
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Location of MBTA subway yards
1
Alewife Yard
2
Bowdoin Yard
3
Cabot Yard
4
Caddigan Yard
5
Codman Yard
6
GLX VMF
7
Lake Street Yard
8
Mattapan Yard
9
North Station Yard
10
Orient Heights Yard
11
Reservoir Yard
12
Riverside Yard
13
Wellington Yard

The subway lines each have one maintenance facility (except for three on the Green Line) and often several other yards used for overnight and midday storage. Tail tracks for temporary storage of trains are also present at Forest Hills (Orange Line) and Wonderland (Blue Line); the Green Line has sidings at Heath Street, Blandford Street, and Northeastern University.

Name Location[1] Route[1] Use[1]
Alewife Yard   north of Alewife Red Line layover/storage
Bowdoin Yard   west of Bowdoin Blue Line layover/storage
Cabot Yard   near Broadway Red Line maintenance and storage
Caddigan Yard   south of Braintree Red Line (Braintree branch) layover/storage
Codman Yard   south of Ashmont Red Line (Ashmont branch) layover/storage
Green Line Extension Vehicle Maintenance Facility   Inner Belt District Green Line (D and E branches) maintenance and storage
Lake Street Yard   at Boston College Green Line (B branch) maintenance and storage
Mattapan Yard   at Mattapan Ashmont–Mattapan High Speed Line maintenance and storage
North Station Yard   at North Station Green Line layover and storage
Orient Heights Yard   east of Orient Heights Blue Line maintenance and storage
Reservoir Yard   between Reservoir and Cleveland Circle Green Line (C branch and D branch) maintenance and storage
Riverside Yard   at Riverside Green Line (D branch) maintenance and storage
Wellington Yard   at Wellington Orange Line maintenance and storage

Commuter rail edit

All MBTA Commuter Rail lines except the Lowell Line have a dedicated layover near the end of the line |trainsets to be stored overnight. Some provide ground power and other facilities; others are simply several yard tracks off the mainline. The MBTA has one heavy maintenance facility on the northside, plus two light maintenance facilities on the southside. Equipment is transferred between the two sides via the Grand Junction Railroad.

 
 
 
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Location of MBTA Commuter Rail facilities
1
Bradford Layover
2
Franklin Layover
3
Greenbush Layover
4
Kingston Layover
5
MBTA Commuter Rail Maintenance Facility
6
Middleboro Layover
7
Needham Layover
8
Newburyport Layover
9
Pawtucket Layover
10
Readville Interim Repair Facility
11
Rochester Maintenance Facility
12
Rockport Layover
13
Southampton Street Yard
14
Stoughton Layover
15
West Cambridge Maintenance Facility
16
Westminster Layover
17
Worcester Layover
Name Location[1] Route[1] Use[1]
Bradford Layover at Bradford Haverhill Line layover/storage
Franklin Layover   east of Franklin/Dean College Franklin/Foxboro Line layover/storage
Greenbush Layover   at Greenbush Greenbush Line layover/storage
Kingston Layover   at Kingston Kingston Line layover/storage
MBTA Commuter Rail Maintenance Facility   Inner Belt, Somerville northside lines Heavy maintenance for all commuter rail equipment; layover/storage
Middleboro Layover   at Middleborough Middleborough/Lakeville Line layover/storage
Needham Layover   south of Needham Heights Needham Line layover/storage
Newburyport Layover   south of Newburyport Newburyport/Rockport Line layover/storage
Pawtucket Layover   Pawtucket, Rhode Island Providence/Stoughton Line layover/storage
Readville Interim Repair Facility   north of Readville southside lines Running maintenance and layover/storage. Expansion into a southside maintenance facility is planned for construction from 2023 to 2028.[2]
Rochester Maintenance Facility Cape Main Line in Rochester Overhaul and maintenance[3]
Rockport Layover   at Rockport Newburyport/Rockport Line layover/storage
Southampton Street Yard   south of South Station, Boston southside lines running maintenance and midday storage – primarily an Amtrak heavy maintenance facility
Stoughton Layover   at Stoughton Providence/Stoughton Line layover/storage
West Cambridge Maintenance Facility   south of Alewife Maintenance of way equipment storage
Westminster Layover   west of Wachusett Fitchburg Line[4] layover/storage
Worcester Layover   east of Worcester Framingham/Worcester Line layover/storage

Future yards edit

 
 
 
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Location of future MBTA yards
1
Beacon Park Yard
2
Quincy Bus Maintenance Facility
3
Wamsutta Layover
4
Weaver's Cove Layover
5
Widett Circle
Name Location Routes served
Beacon Park Yard   At Beacon Park Yard Midday layover for the Worcester Line. To be constructed by 2032 as part of the realignment of I-90.[5]
Quincy Bus Maintenance Facility   North of Quincy Adams Will replace Quincy Garage. Bidding process restarted in mid-2022[6]
Wamsutta Layover   North of New Bedford Under construction as part of South Coast Rail, expected to open in mid-2024[7]
Weaver's Cove Layover   North of Fall River Under construction as part of South Coast Rail, expected to open in 2024[7]
Widett Circle   Inside Widett Circle Layover yard for southside lines. The MBTA Board authorized negotiations for property purchase in December 2022.[8][9] The MBTA took possession of the property in April 2023.[10]

Former yards edit

 
 
 
30km
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4
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Location of former MBTA Commuter Rail yards
1
Attleboro Layover
2
Fitchburg Layover
3
Haverhill Layover
4
Ipswich Layover
 
 
 
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Location of former MBTA subway and bus yards (including subway yards converted to bus facilities)
1
Arborway Yard
2
Bennett Carhouse and Eliot Shops
3
Everett Shops
4
Forest Hills Shops
5
Lechmere Yard
6
Sullivan Square Shops
7
Watertown Yard
Name Location Routes Use Closed & reason
Attleboro Layover   south of Attleboro Providence/Stoughton Line layover/storage 2006; replaced by Pawtucket Layover
Bennett Carhouse   south of Harvard Square, Cambridge Harvard-based streetcar and trackless trolley routes maintenance and storage 1970; Eliot Shops closed
Eliot Shops   south of Harvard Square, Cambridge Red Line (also Blue Line from 1924–1952) maintenance and storage 1970; redevelopment
Fitchburg Layover   east of Fitchburg Fitchburg Line layover/storage 2016; replaced by Wachusett Layover
Forest Hills Shops   south of Forest Hills Orange Line maintenance and storage 1987; completion of the southwest Corridor
Haverhill Layover north of Haverhill Haverhill Line layover/storage 1987; replaced by Bradford Layover
Ipswich Layover   south of Ipswich Newburyport/Rockport Line layover/storage 1998; extension to Newburyport
Lechmere Yard   at Lechmere Green Line layover/storage 2020; relocation of Lechmere station
Sullivan Square Shops   at Sullivan Square Orange Line and streetcars maintenance and storage 1975; completion of the Haymarket North Extension

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Ridership and Service Statistics" (PDF) (14th ed.). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 2014.
  2. ^ "Executive Summary" (PDF). South Side Maintenance and Layover Facility EENF. Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. November 2022.
  3. ^ "Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority FY23-27 Capital Investment Plan (CIP): Proposed" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. March 2022.
  4. ^ "MBTA Wachusett Commuter Rail Extension Project". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on 15 March 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  5. ^ "Allston Multimodal Project Fact Sheet". Massachusetts Department of Transportation. 2021.
  6. ^ "Quincy Bus Maintenance Facility Project Update" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. December 2022.
  7. ^ a b Medeiros, Dan (September 29, 2023). "South Coast Rail passenger service is being delayed. Here's why, explained in 60 seconds". The Herald News. Archived from the original on September 30, 2023.
  8. ^ Henderson, Richard (December 15, 2022). "Widett Circle Acquisition" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
  9. ^ "MBTA Seeks to Purchase Widett Circle Property for Commuter Rail Layover Yard" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. December 15, 2022.
  10. ^ "MBTA completes purchase of land for new commuter yard". Trains News Wire. April 12, 2023.

External links edit

  Media related to MBTA yards at Wikimedia Commons