Cabot Yard
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority uses a number of yards and facilities for maintenance and storage of its road and rail fleets.
Active yards
Bus
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 | Routes served | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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
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 | Route | Use | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | ,_December_2017.JPG)
|
at Riverside | Green Line (D branch) | maintenance and storage |
| Wellington Yard | 
|
at Wellington | Orange Line | maintenance and storage |
Commuter rail
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.
| Name | Location | Route | Use | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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. |
| Rochester Maintenance Facility | Cape Main Line in Rochester | Overhaul and maintenance | ||
| 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 | layover/storage |
| Worcester Layover | ,_June_2017.JPG)
|
east of Worcester | Framingham/Worcester Line | layover/storage |
Future yards
| 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. |
| Quincy Bus Maintenance Facility | ,_September_2024.JPG)
|
North of Quincy Adams | Will replace Quincy Garage. Expected completion in 2027. |
| Wamsutta Layover | 
|
North of New Bedford | Under construction as part of South Coast Rail, expected to open in mid-2024 |
| Weaver's Cove Layover | 
|
North of Fall River | Under construction as part of South Coast Rail, expected to open in 2024 |
| Widett Circle | 
|
Inside Widett Circle | Layover yard for southside lines. The MBTA Board authorized negotiations for property purchase in December 2022. The MBTA took possession of the property in April 2023. |
Former yards
| 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
- ^ "Ridership and Service Statistics" (PDF) (14th ed.). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 2014.
- ^ "Executive Summary" (PDF). South Side Maintenance and Layover Facility EENF. Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. November 2022.
- ^ "Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority FY23-27 Capital Investment Plan (CIP): Proposed" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. March 2022.
- ^ "MBTA Wachusett Commuter Rail Extension Project". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on 15 March 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
- ^ "Allston Multimodal Project Fact Sheet". Massachusetts Department of Transportation. 2021.
- ^ Brennan, Christopher E. (October 24, 2023). "MBTA Contract No. R17CN06 – Construction Manager at Risk Services for the MBTA Quincy Bus Maintenance Facility Project: Final Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) Amendment" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. pp. 12, 15.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Henderson, Richard (December 15, 2022). "Widett Circle Acquisition" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
- ^ "MBTA Seeks to Purchase Widett Circle Property for Commuter Rail Layover Yard" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. December 15, 2022.
- ^ "MBTA completes purchase of land for new commuter yard". Trains News Wire. April 12, 2023.
External links
Media related to MBTA yards at Wikimedia Commons