SWAMPSCOTT — Commuters will face weekend disruptions on the MBTA’s Newburyport/Rockport Line through March as crews perform signal upgrades near North Station, part of a broader project affecting rail service across the North Shore and Greater Boston.
Commuter Rail service between Swampscott and North Station will be suspended on the weekends of Feb. 21-22, Feb. 28-March 1, March 7-8, March 21-22, and March 28-29, according to the MBTA.
The closures are part of the North Station Terminal Area Signal System Improvement Project, which will replace outdated signal equipment with a modern system designed to improve reliability and reduce delays for trains serving Swampscott and other communities along the Newburyport/Rockport Line, including Lynn, Salem, and Beverly.
During the service suspensions, free shuttle buses will replace train service between Swampscott and North Station. The MBTA will operate both local shuttle buses, which stop at each station, and express shuttle buses, which run directly between Swampscott and North Station.
Transit officials said riders traveling from Swampscott to Boston should expect longer commute times. Express shuttle buses may add up to 40 minutes to trips, while local shuttle buses could add as much as 70 minutes.
Regular Commuter Rail fares will still be required for travel beyond Swampscott to stations such as Salem, Beverly Depot, Newburyport, and Rockport. The MBTA said the last outbound train of the night will continue to serve Salem and Beverly Depot, though no connecting train service will be available at Beverly Depot during the affected weekends.
The project will also affect several other Commuter Rail lines serving North Station, including the Fitchburg, Haverhill, and Lowell lines, where weekend suspensions and shuttle bus replacements will be in place during select dates. In addition, Orange Line service between Back Bay and Forest Hills will be suspended for nine days from Feb. 28 through March 8 to allow for signal modernization work.
MBTA officials said the signal upgrades are intended to improve long-term service reliability by replacing obsolete infrastructure that controls train movements in and out of North Station, one of the system’s busiest rail hubs.
Swampscott riders and other North Shore commuters are encouraged to plan ahead, allow extra travel time, and check MBTA service alerts for updated schedules and information during the construction period.
