Accident on commuter rail bridge brings delays, more expected through today

Commuters on the Newburyport/Rockport Commuter Rail line should expect delays today between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. due to bridge repairs necessitated by an accident Friday morning.MBTA Spokesman Joe Pesaturo said passengers would have to disembark from trains and take shuttle buses between the Beverly and Salem commuter stations due to bridge repairs.Pesaturo said the bridge over the North River in Beverly would be closed so permanent repairs could be made.”We’re lucky there was no structural damage,” he said. “The damage was mechanical and we have the parts to repair it.”The bridge was damaged Friday morning at approximately 5:30 a.m. when a barge hit the bridge, making it inoperable. Pesaturo said the rotating bridge could not be locked into position for train service, which made for a tough commute Friday morning.”We didn’t see this coming,” he said. “It was one of those things we have no control over.”Passengers traveling out of Boston had to disembark in Salem and take a shuttle bus to Beverly. Those traveling inbound were forced to disembark in Beverly and use shuttle buses to Salem.Pesaturo said there were significant delays during the Friday morning commute, but he expected things to return to normal Sunday after the bridge repairs are complete.”We appreciate the patience our commuters showed during a difficult commute,” he said.