BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has completed purchase of 24 acres of land near South Station where it plans to build a new commuter rail layover facility.
State House News Service reports MBTA officials announced today they have finalized the $255 million purchase of the land at Widett Circle, a mile from South Station. The current nearest layover facility is 9 miles away; the agency said in a press release that building a new yard at the site will allow it to reduce deadhead miles by more than 50,000 per year and reduce congestion on its Fairmount line, creating the opportunity for more frequent service on that line and the Worcester Line.
The site, adjacent to the MBTA’s Southampton Street Yard, was once viewed as a potential stadium location during Boston’s unsuccessful bid for the 2024 Olympics [see “MBTA board approves land purchase …,” Trains News Wire, Dec. 16, 2022].
Finally.
Reading another article about trying to expand South Station to add more tracks but they have not been able to get the Post Office to move elsewhere. Why not trade the air rights here to the post office in return for the South Boston postal annex.
In paragraph 2, “reduce deadline miles”. I assume it’s supposed to be “reduce deadhead miles.” Autocorrect?
No, just wasn’t awake enough yet when I was writing. Fixed. Thanks.
Good move. Smart to grab this property before it is developed into anything else. Industrial land around Boston is getting rare and this location is as ideal as it gets.
Isn’t this former New Haven Railroad land? We have to buy back what was sold off?
BTW, it is developed into something else. The graphic in the article above clearly shows buildings on site.
No, it is the “New Boston Food Mart” a very old food distribution facility which is within the Amtrak loop just south of downtown. It was heavily served by rail when originally constructed but nothing comes in by rail now. The land is too valuable as it is and there have been several plans to redevelop it into everything from a sports stadium to a mixed-use neighborhood.
A quarter billion just to purchase the land. Which I assume is in use now, maybe for food distribution warehouses, etc.
The fact is, there’s a huge cost in passenger rail (or buses, or aviation) above and beyond the point-to-point revenue miles.