Last updated on April 10, 2026
The MBTA recently announced that its proposed capital investment plan will fund the remaining design and construction costs of a new Arborway bus facility that would house a fleet of battery-electric buses.
The MBTA includes a $380 million budget for the new facility in its proposed 2027-2031 capital investment plan. The new, larger facility would accommodate up to 200 40-foot buses to serve routes stemming from the Arborway yard, Cabot bus yard in Dorchester, and Albany bus yards in the South End.
The new facility is slated for “substantial completion” in 2031, but is in the early stages of development so that date may change, said an MBTA spokesperson.
The future Arborway bus yard would be next to the current facility at Washington Street and Arborway by the Forest Hills MBTA station. Once construction is completed, the old Arborway facility would be demolished, and the area would be made available for redevelopment. The future development of land and the real estate outcomes are under discussion with the city.
Back in 2021, the MBTA announced a plan to modernize the Arborway Bus Yard to create a multi-level facility to accommodate more buses. That plan had a construction start date of 2024, and was to be completed in 2027. The plan in 2021 was to transfer eight acres of land to the city to create affordable housing, according to MBTA documents.
In 2003, the Arborway Yard was opened as a temporary facility to replace the Bartlett Street facility in Roxbury. In 2010, the MBTA proposed a permanent facility design for the Arborway, but lacked the funding to implement it.
