MBTA Seeks to Purchase Widett Circle Property for Commuter Rail Layover Yard

The MBTA Board of Directors today authorized the T to begin negotiations for the purchase of approximately 24 acres of land at Widett Circle, located one mile from Boston’s South Station, for a new commuter rail layover yard to service and store trains overnight and between trips.

Existing layover facilities utilized by the MBTA are at or beyond capacity and impose significant operating inefficiencies. This is particularly challenging today due to the limited rail space available near South Station. Locating the layover facility at Widett Circle will reduce the time that trains must layover at South Station, which will increase capacity for additional rail services at the station, such as the future South Coast Rail.

Use of Widett Circle as a layover facility will also lessen congestion on the Fairmount Line and provide the opportunity to increase service along that line. While the MBTA plans to use all 24 acres on the Widett Circle site, it anticipates future conversations with the City of Boston regarding the City’s adjacent properties and collaborations with the City’s nearby assets and interests.

As part of the South Station Expansion (SSX) project, the MBTA identified Widett Circle as a critical location to provide layover functions on the south side of the Commuter Rail network, and a yard at Widett Circle was included in the SSX State and Federal environmental filings that won approval in 2016 and 2017.