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The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) is turning an unused train tunnel and station into a training facility to teach emergency responders how to better handle underground crises, according to a metro newspaper article posted yesterday on the agency’s website.

Using grant money from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, MBTA plans to turn the Oak Street facility into an emergency training center featuring a mock train station where transit security officers can carry out emergency drills. The center also will be accessible to emergency responders from surrounding cities.

The mock station will feature two Blue Line cars and one Green Line trolley so trainees can conduct simulated emergency scenarios. Two conference rooms inside the new building will be used for debriefing after training sessions.

The MBTA board recently approved the project’s first phase, which will address water leaks and structural repairs. The second phase includes delivering the vehicles to the facility, while the third phase calls for building the center, which is scheduled to be complete in spring 2013.