MBTA’s $850 million infrastructure plan includes new maintenance hub for 200 battery-electric buses

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has secured state-funding amounting to US$850 million (around €782 million) to finance several critical capital projects. One of the key components of this package is a new dedicated maintenance and storage facility designed for battery-electric buses (BEBs).

According to media reporting including Metro magazine, the facility is planned near the Arborway/Franklin Park area in Boston and is being sized to accommodate roughly 200 battery-electric buses.

MBTA has set the target of  converting its entire bus fleet to battery-electric buses by 2040, in accordance with the 2022 Massachusetts law, “An Act Driving Clean Energy and Offshore Wind.” 

Facility scope and technical design

The package earmarks a new campus for the Arborway Battery Electric Bus Maintenance Facility. Still according to Metro Magazine (which cites the state transportation fund mechanics) the project includes a 75,000 square-foot maintenance building, a 15,000 square-foot service/wash building, and an open outdoor yard for bus storage and charging.

In practical terms, the new facility will help support the rollout of roughly 200 BEBs. It also paves the way The MBTA board’s approval of the funding was routed through the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s (MassDOT) “Interdepartmental Service Agreement” (ISA) with the MBTA and the Commonwealth Transportation Fund (CTF).

From an investment perspective, the €782 million funding package is significant not only for the BEB depot but also for parallel projects: rail upgrades, locomotive replacements, and the Widett Layover Facility for regional rail electrification.