Long Delays On First Day Of New North Shore Commuter Rail Schedule

BEVERLY, MA — North Shore commuter rail users expecting a smoother ride with the completion of a major construction and signal installation project got another dose of delays on Monday.

The MBTA said late Monday afternoon that Rockport Line passengers were experiencing delays of up to 40 minutes in both directions because of speed restrictions in effect at crossings between in the Manchester area. The delays were expected to last through the end of the Monday schedule.

The MBTA said Newburyport passengers could also experience residual delays as a result of train traffic as trains were forced to stop and proceed through crossings at reduced speed.

The delays came on the first day of the new fall/winter schedule following the completion of the $100 million Gloucester Drawbridge, which began in 2018, and the installation of a new federally mandated signal system that had forced shuttle buses into use for months.

The MBTA said in announcing the construction completion last week that Newburyport/Rockport line passengers could "expect better service reliability and a faster ride than was possible across the original bridge."

The new signal system monitors trains in real time and reduces speeds when needed to prevent collisions.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)