The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has completed construction on the new Gloucester Drawbridge that carries the Rockport Commuter Rail Line over the Annisquam River. The $100 million bridge replacement began in 2018 and replaces a bridge originally constructed in 1911.
The authority also completed the installation of Automatic Train Control (ATC) on the Newburyport/Rockport line. ATC is a federally mandated safety system that sends signals to trains about potentially unsafe conditions, automatically slowing and stopping a train if needed. Regular train service will resume between Beverly and Rockport Stations on Dec. 19, and a new fall/winter schedule will go into effect on the Newburyport/Rockport line.
“We’re pleased to have completed these safety enhancements on the line, as well as the critical work to replace the Gloucester Drawbridge, bringing improved service to our Newburyport/Rockport line riders,” said MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak. “I’d like to especially thank our riders for their patience as work crews accomplished these infrastructure upgrades, which will improve safety and reliability on the line for decades to come.”
With a contract award in November 2017, the project to replace the Gloucester Drawbridge took place over a five-year period. The Drawbridge now includes side-by-side single-track moveable bridges, an updated east-approach trestle with pre-stressed box beams on top of steel pipe piles and a relocated control tower on the Gloucester Station-side of the bridge.
Newburyport/Rockport line passengers can expect better service reliability and a faster ride than was possible across the original bridge. Access for boats within the waterways beneath the bridge has also been improved.
Additional benefits for Newburyport/Rockport line riders include safety upgrades as part of the federally required Positive Train Control (PTC) safety system and associated ATC signal upgrade work. The PTC system monitors trains in real time and reduces speeds when needed to prevent collisions. ATC is a required part of the PTC system. Phase I PTC work was completed on the Newburyport/Rockport line in 2020. Phase II work includes the implementation of ATC upgrades, which continued to take place in fall 2022, with shuttle buses replacing trains for two months between Rockport and Beverly.
