MBTA North Station Project: What It Means For North Shore Residents

BEVERLY, MA — More disruptions are coming to the Rockport/Newburyport commuter rail line this summer while an obsolete signal system at North Station gets an upgrade.

On July 9 and July 10, July 16 and July 17, July 21 through July 24 and Aug. 4 and 5, buses will replace train service between Beverly and Wellington Station for an Orange Line connection and continued service to North Station.

On July 30 and July 31, and Aug. 6 and Aug. 7, buses will replace the train service from Beverly to North Station. Trains will operate between Rockport/Newburyport and Beverly.

"During this time, the existing, aged, signaling system, which controls all tracks in and around North Station, will be replaced with state-of-the-art technology," the MBTA said on Thursday. "The new system will reduce signal failures and train delays, and improve efficiency and safety."

The service changes are a side effect of the North Station Terminal Area Signal System Improvement Project, scheduled to finish at the end of 2022.

(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.)