MBTA completes Widett Circle purchase

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has completed a $255 million purchase of Widett Circle, a 24-acre property in Boston next to existing MBTA commuter-rail facilities that will be used for train storage and maintenance.

Located a mile from South Station, the purchase of Widett Circle will improve operations on nine of 14 commuter-rail routes, accounting for two thirds of MBTA commuter-rail service, MBTA officials said in a press release. The property will enable additional maintenance and layover functions at South Station, which is critical for introducing more frequent service on the Fairmount and Worcester lines, they added.

The purchase also will support future service expansions and equipment needs, including the East-West rail route between Pittsfield, Springfield and Boston, which is under study by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, and the future South Coast Rail Phase One Service between Boston and Fall River/New Bedford, which is under construction.

"Completing the acquisition of Widett Circle is a major step toward our goals of improving commuter-rail service in the near term as well as the future vision for rail that is more frequent, reliable and better positioned to embrace new and greener technology," said MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng.

Currently, the rail yard in the Boston neighborhood of Readville is the closest layover facility to downtown Boston, 9 miles from South Station, MBTA officials said. As a result, trains not in passenger service must travel back and forth along the Fairmount Line, which adds to fuel costs and congestion. By adding Widett Circle to the network, MBTA can reduce "deadhead" miles (the distance traveled by trains not in passenger service) by more than 50,000 miles per year, reducing operating costs.

MassDOT contributed $155 million toward the purchase; MBTA provided the remaining $100 million from capital investment plan funds.