Contracts Awarded for MBTA Wachusett Expansion

(via the Trains.com Newswire)

The Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority has awarded a $22.9 million contract to S&R Construction Enterprises to build the Wachusett commuter rail station in Fitchburg and a $12 million layover facility in Westminster. The agency plans to extend service on the Fitchburg line about 4.5 miles west from its downtown Fitchburg terminal to the new station.

The Wachusett station will be located northwest of the intersection of Massachusetts Routes 2 and 31 in Fitchburg. When completed, it will serve as the northwestern terminus for Fitchburg Line trains on the Pan Am Southern main line, lengthening the Fitchburg Line to 54 miles. The station is expected to draw 400 daily riders and open by the end of 2014.

The layover facility will be just 1.5 miles west of the new station, but has been met with community opposition in Westminster over noise pollution. The facility will have six 1000-foot tracks and replace a similar but smaller yard in East Fitchburg.