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Bus Facility Modernization

project rendering of projected outside of bus maintenance facility
Rendering of the future Quincy bus maintenance facility. 
  • Timeline: Ongoing
  • Status: Construction (Quincy) | 15% design (Arborway)

We have a long-term plan to fully replace our bus fleet with battery electric buses (BEBs). These all-electric vehicles emit no greenhouse gases, allowing the MBTA to significantly reduce our carbon footprint. A newer, emissions-free fleet will let us provide more sustainable, equitable, reliable, and convenient service to riders—all initiatives of our comprehensive Better Bus Project

To provide operational support for an enlarged and upgraded fleet, we need to improve our bus facilities. The Bus Facility Modernization program will allow us to provide our riders and employees with major benefits, including: 

  • More service during peak demand times 
  • Larger, roomier buses on some routes 
  • Cleaner air along bus routes and in maintenance facility neighborhoods  
  • Modern, efficient work environments for our employees 
  • More sustainable, resilient, and environmentally friendly infrastructure

We’re prioritizing facility upgrades along some of our busiest routes in areas where residents are heavily reliant on transit. These riders will be among the first to experience improved bus service and benefit from new zero-emissions vehicles. 

Learn how modernizing bus facilities helps lower our carbon emissions

Building a Better T

As part of our $9.6 billion, 5-year capital investment plan, we're renovating stations, modernizing fare collection systems, upgrading services for our buses, subways, and ferries, and improving the accessibility of the entire system.

Learn more

Our Plan for Modernized Facilities

Today, the MBTA operates a fleet of 1,100 buses from nine bus maintenance facilities across the network. The planning, design, environmental review, and construction of fully modernized facilities will require significant resources and multiple years to implement.  

In April 2021, we presented to our plan to modernize the bus fleet and bus maintenance facilities. The plan defines: 

  • A goal of fully electrifying the fleet by 2040  
  • A prioritized path for facility replacements based on equity, ridership, and bus fleet and facility condition 
  • The scale of investment required to support new facility construction, including real estate purchase costs 

We are prioritizing the modernization of certain facilities before others based on rider, worker, and community needs and the bus system's logistical requirements. 

As we update facilities and purchase new buses, we will continue to refine our plan and share updates with riders. 

Learn more about our plan 

Quincy Bus Maintenance Facility

As the oldest facility in our system, the Quincy Bus Maintenance Facility lacks the required technology and space to support newer buses. Because only older buses can run from this garage, Quincy routes experience limited service frequency and more reliability issues.

We’re constructing a new facility for a larger, more modern fleet. This will accommodate BEBs and allow for potential service expansion in the future while supporting our efforts to lessen our environmental impact. The new facility will be located across the street from Quincy Adams Station on the Red Line, within a mile of Quincy Center Station, where many Quincy bus routes start.

Construction activities 

We have selected a construction manager (CM), and construction of the new bus maintenance facility is underway.

Crews have begun construction activities next to and within the new bus maintenance facility site, including:

  • A new sidewalk along Burgin Pkwy
  • Work along Columbia St and Penn St related to extending Columbia St to Burgin Pkwy
  • A new intersection with signals

The site is located at 599 Burgin Pkwy in Quincy.

Site preparation and enabling activities, including construction of a new shared use pathway, and utility work were performed in 2022.

View our update on the site's preparation

What to Expect During Construction

Beginning mid-November 2023, the sidewalk along Thomas Burgin Pkwy from Quincy St to the Deco Apartments driveway will be closed to pedestrians. Detour signs will direct pedestrians through Quincy St, Penn St, Columbia St, and the new shared use pathway. We expect this detour to last for about eight months.

A pedestrian detour map for the construction activities happening at Quincy bus facility. A yellow dotted line on Quincy Street, Penn Street, Columbia Street, and the new shared use pathway highlights the detour route. A red line along Thomas Burgin Parkway shows that the sidewalk is closed.
Pedestrian detour map (November 2023)

Additionally, there will be a temporary traffic lane closure every day along the southbound side of Thomas Burgin Pkwy, next to the bus maintenance facility site. The lane will be closed during the daytime.

Public engagement

Now that the environmental review process and the design review phase are complete, and construction activities have begun, we encourage the public to view past public meeting presentations and submit any comments or questions to quincybus@mbta.com.

Arborway Bus Maintenance Facility

To support a 100% BEB fleet and advance the MBTA's decarbonization initiatives, we're designing a larger Arborway Bus Maintenance Facility. The facility will be located next to the existing one at Washington Street and Arborway in Boston, near Forest Hills station. 
 
Today, the Arborway garage supports buses serving routes in neighborhoods with high proportions of transit-critical riders from low-income households and households of color in Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan, Hyde Park, Roslindale, Jamaica Plain, and areas southwest of Boston. The new, larger facility will support 60-foot BEBs that will serve more routes and reduce crowding in these areas.  

The new Arborway facility is targeted to open by the end of 2027. As existing compressed natural gas (CNG) buses are retired starting in 2028, the new facility can start replacing them with zero-emissions BEBs. 

Public engagement

Attend upcoming events for project updates.

Upcoming Modernization Projects

We’re moving forward with a number of other initiatives to address urgent needs at existing facilities. We are also planning to modernize other facilities following our renovations at Quincy and Arborway.

Facility retrofits

We will continue to provide full bus service for riders during our facilities' design, renovation, and construction. We’re retrofitting some existing facilities and, when necessary, we’ll temporarily move some buses to alternate facilities in order to maintain bus service on all routes. The MBTA is making targeted investments to continue to meet operational needs while cost-effectively managing time-sensitive fleet replacements.

Upcoming future facility improvements

We are prioritizing the modernization of our bus maintenance facilities based on equity, ridership, and bus fleet and facility condition. We plan to open updated Wellington and Lynn facilities by 2030, and the remaining facilities every two to three years between 2030 and 2040.

Past Events

View all events

Contact Us

For all questions and comments related to the Bus Facility Modernization program or the Quincy or Arborway Bus Maintenance Facility improvements, please contact Scott Hamwey at shamwey@mbta.com.

Recent Updates

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Related Projects

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Building a Better T

As part of our $9.6 billion, 5-year capital investment plan, we're renovating stations, modernizing fare collection systems, upgrading services for our buses, subways, and ferries, and improving the accessibility of the entire system.

Learn more

Recent Updates

View all project updates

Related Projects

View all projects