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Yesterday, CSX Transportation officials joined Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray to mark the start of construction on a $100 million expansion of CSXT’s rail facility in Worcester.

The groundbreaking marks “an important milestone” in CSXT’s rail transportation agreement with Massachusetts, which was designed to expand the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) commuter-rail service and improve the state’s transportation infrastructure, MBTA officials said in a prepared statement.

The project will lead to the development of a “green” terminal that will provide more shipping options for New England businesses, as well as create more options for riders and increased trains along the Worcester/Framingham line to Boston’s South Station, officials said.

Finalized in 2009, the CSXT-Massachusetts agreement allowed the state to buy the Boston-to-Worcester rail line property rights from CSXT to accommodate increased freight and passenger service, while also taking control of dispatching and maintenance on the line. The MBTA already has been able to add five Framingham-Boston commuter trains to Worcester on CSXT’s Boston line.

The agreement also allowed the state to buy the New Bedford-Fall River Line from CSXT, as well as the Boston Terminal track and West First Street Yard in South Boston. CSXT acquired the acreage required for the rail yard expansion through direct negotiation with landowners.