The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority uses a number of yards and facilities for maintenance and storage of its road and rail fleets.
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 | |
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 |
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 [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 |
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] |
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 |
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is the public agency responsible for operating most public transportation services in Greater Boston, Massachusetts. The MBTA transit network includes the MBTA subway with three metro lines, two light rail lines, and a five-line bus rapid transit system ; MBTA bus local and express service; the twelve-line MBTA Commuter Rail system, and several ferry routes. In 2022, the system had a ridership of 216,329,500, or about 778,600 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2023, of which the rapid transit lines averaged 283,900 and the light rail lines 101,300, making it the fourth-busiest rapid transit system and the third-busiest light rail system in the United States. As of the third quarter of 2023, average weekday ridership of the commuter rail system was 92,400, making it the fifth-busiest commuter rail system in the U.S.
The Green Line is a semi-metro system run by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) in the Boston, Massachusetts, metropolitan area. It is the oldest MBTA subway line, and with tunnel sections dating from 1897, the oldest subway in North America. It runs underground through downtown Boston, and on the surface into inner suburbs via six branches on radial boulevards and grade-separated alignments. With an average daily weekday ridership of 137,700 in 2019, it is the third most heavily used light rail system in the country. The line was assigned the green color in 1967 during a systemwide rebranding because several branches pass through sections of the Emerald Necklace of Boston.
The Orange Line is a rapid transit line operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) as part of the MBTA subway system. The line runs south on the surface from Oak Grove station in Malden, Massachusetts through Malden and Medford, paralleling the Haverhill Line, then crosses the Mystic River on a bridge into Somerville, then into Charlestown. It passes under the Charles River and runs through Downtown Boston in the Washington Street Tunnel. The line returns to the surface in the South End, then follows the Southwest Corridor southwest in a cut through Roxbury and Jamaica Plain to Forest Hills station.
Wellington station is a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Orange Line rapid transit station in Medford, Massachusetts, near the border of Everett. It is located on the Revere Beach Parkway, slightly east of its intersection with Route 28. Wellington functions as a park and ride with more than 1,300 spaces, and a bus hub with 10 routes terminating at the station. The Station Landing development, connected to the station by an overhead walkway, includes residential and retail buildings and additional parking. Wellington Carhouse, the primary repair and maintenance facility for the Orange Line, is located adjacent to the station.
The MBTA Commuter Rail system serves as the commuter rail arm of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's (MBTA's) transportation coverage of Greater Boston in the United States. Trains run over 394 mi (634 km) of track to 134 stations. It is operated under contract by Keolis, which took over operations on July 1, 2014, from the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company (MBCR).
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) operates 152 bus routes in the Greater Boston area. The MBTA has a policy objective to provide transit service within walking distance for all residents living in areas with population densities greater than 5,000 inhabitants per square mile (1,900/km2) within the MBTA's service district. Much of this service is provided by bus. In 2022, the system had a ridership of 83,623,600, or about 292,000 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2023.
Forest Hills station is an intermodal transfer station in Boston, Massachusetts. It serves the MBTA rapid transit Orange Line and three MBTA Commuter Rail lines and is a major terminus for MBTA bus routes. It is located in Forest Hills, in the southern part of the Jamaica Plain neighborhood. Most Providence/Stoughton Line and Franklin/Foxboro Line trains, and all Amtrak Northeast Corridor trains, pass through the station without stopping.
Boston College station is a light rail station on the MBTA Green Line B branch. It is located at St. Ignatius Square on the Boston College campus near the intersection of Commonwealth Avenue and Lake Street, on the border between the Brighton neighborhood of Boston and the Chestnut Hill neighborhood of Newton, Massachusetts. Originally opened in 1896, it has been the terminus of the Commonwealth Avenue line since 1900. The current station is planned to be replaced by a new station located in the median of Commonwealth Avenue just east of Lake Street.
Lechmere station is a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line light rail station in Lechmere Square in East Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is located on the east side of Monsignor O'Brien Highway near First Street, adjacent to the NorthPoint development. The accessible elevated station has a single island platform, with headhouses at both ends. It opened on March 21, 2022, as part of the Green Line Extension (GLX). Lechmere station is served by Green Line D branch and E branch service.
Riverside station is a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line light rail station located in the Auburndale village of Newton, Massachusetts. It is the western terminal of the Green Line D branch service. The station is located near the interchange of Interstate 95 and the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90) and serves as a regional park and ride station. West of the station is Riverside Yard, the main maintenance facility and largest storage yard for the Green Line. The station is fully accessible.
The Green Line D branch is a light rail line in Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Newton, and Somerville, Massachusetts, operating as part of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line. The line runs on a grade separated surface right-of-way for 9 miles (14 km) from Riverside station to Fenway station. The line merges into the C branch tunnel west of Kenmore, then follows the Boylston Street subway and Tremont Street subway to North Station. It is the longest and busiest of the four Green Line branches. As of February 2023, service operates on 8 to 9-minute headways at weekday peak hours and 8 to 11-minute headways at other times, using 13 to 19 trains.
Arborway station was an MBTA light rail stop and bus transfer location in Boston, Massachusetts. It served the MBTA Green Line E branch. It was located in Arborway Yard near the Forest Hills station complex. It closed in 1985 when the outer section of the branch was temporarily—and ultimately permanently—closed.
The Haverhill Line is a branch of the MBTA Commuter Rail system, running north from downtown Boston, Massachusetts through the cities and towns of Malden, Melrose, Wakefield, Reading, Wilmington, Andover, North Andover, Lawrence, and Haverhill.
Cleveland Circle station is a surface light rail station on the MBTA Green Line C branch, located in the Brighton neighborhood of Boston, at Cleveland Circle. Cleveland Circle station is accessible, with raised platforms to accommodate low-floor light rail vehicles.
Readville station is a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) commuter rail station located in the Readville section of the Hyde Park neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It is served by MBTA Commuter Rail Fairmount Line and Franklin/Foxboro Line. Readville is the outer terminus for most Fairmount service, though some trips continue as Franklin/Foxboro Line trains. The station is located at a multi-level junction, with the Northeast Corridor tracks at ground level and the Dorchester Branch above; Franklin/Foxboro Line trains use a connecting track with a separate platform. Platforms are available for the Providence/Stoughton Line on the Northeast Corridor tracks, but they are not regularly used. An MBTA maintenance and storage yard and a CSX Transportation freight yard are located near the station.
Watertown Carhouse is a bus maintenance facility and former streetcar carhouse located in the southern section of Watertown, Massachusetts, across the Charles River from Watertown Square. As Watertown Yard, the site also serves as a bus depot serving local and express routes, with additional connections available at Watertown Square on the opposite end of the Watertown Bridge.
Bradford station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in the Bradford neighborhood of Haverhill, Massachusetts, served by the Haverhill Line. The Haverhill Line's layover yard is located adjacent to the station.
Rockport station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Rockport, Massachusetts. It is the terminus of the Rockport branch of the Newburyport/Rockport Line. The station complex consists of a single side platform with one revenue track plus 4 layover tracks for parked trains and a short stretch of auxiliary track.
City Point Bus Terminal is a bus station in South Boston, Massachusetts. It serves MBTA bus routes 7, 9, 10 and 11. From 2004 to 2009, it was the terminus of Silver Line route SL3.
Widett Circle is a locale in Boston, Massachusetts that had long been used as a wholesale food market, but which has been proposed for several redevelopment projects. It is located between a bend in Interstate 93 and the MBTA rail yards, near the Massachusetts Avenue connector to I-93. Widett Circle was named for Harold Widett who was the attorney for the meat packers union.
Media related to MBTA yards at Wikimedia Commons