Amtrak has started construction on a new train maintenance facility at Southampton Yard in Boston, working in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority, and the Rail Passenger Association.

The phased opening of this facility is scheduled to continue through 2029.

The new site will be used for routine inspections, servicing and cleaning of trains operating on several major routes. These include the Northeast Regional between Boston and Washington, and the Amtrak Downeaster between Boston and Brunswick, Maine.

According to Amtrak, the Southampton rail yard modernisation project will deliver an 860ft long building, covering over 60,000ft² within the current yard boundaries.

It will include a two-bay maintenance and inspection facility with inspection pits, drop tables, sanding systems, and fuelling pads at each end.

In addition, Amtrak will renovate an existing two-track service and inspection facility.

Amtrak project delivery, fleet and facilities vice president Michelle Tortolani said: “We are now one step closer to introducing new, state-of-the-art Airo trainsets on the Northeast Regional and Amtrak Downeaster routes.

“This new facility will help speed up train maintenance and reduce turnaround times, providing Amtrak customers with more reliable service as ridership continues to break records.”

Infrastructure upgrades as part of the Southampton rail yard modernisation project include new direct fixation track within the maintenance, inspection, service, and cleaning areas, as well as the replacement of catenary power structures.

Additional improvements involve the installation of storage tracks for both Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and Amtrak equipment, new retaining walls, utility relocations, and an expanded yardmaster’s operations area.