BEVERLY — The railroad bridge that caused frequent headaches for North Shore commuters in 2008 is plaguing them again.
The drawbridge between Beverly and Salem was stuck in the open position for three hours and 45 minutes yesterday morning, prompting delays for about 3,000 passengers on the Newburyport/Rockport line.
A spokesman for Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad, which runs the commuter rail line for the MBTA, said the problem was caused by a stripped lug nut on the bridge's drive shaft.
Passengers were forced to get off trains in Beverly and Salem and take buses between the two depots until the bridge reopened at 11 a.m.
Beverly resident Mary Anne DiAnno said she decided to drive to the Salem Depot after arriving at the Beverly station for the 8:01 a.m. train to Boston and learning that the bridge was out.
"People were standing out there in 14-degree weather waiting for everyone to pig-pile on buses," she said. "It was a joke."
Yesterday marked the second time this month that the bridge caused delays. On Jan. 19, passengers were forced to take buses between Salem and Beverly for about an hour during the evening commute.
MBCR spokesman Scott Farmelant said that delay was caused by a different problem with the bridge's drive shaft.
The bridge, which swings open to allow boats on the Danvers River to pass, came under scrutiny when it failed to work properly several times in 2008 after it was struck by a barge in December 2007.
The MBTA announced in February 2008 that it would spend $1.6 million to fix the bridge, which has some parts that date back to 1886. The work was scheduled to be completed by late summer 2008, but MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo said yesterday that the repairs are still not done.
"A lot of repair work continues, and more is planned," Pesaturo wrote in an e-mail.
Pesaturo said some of the work has been suspended until spring when the weather conditions improve.
State Rep. John Keenan of Salem said he plans to ask about the status of the bridge repairs.
"These sorts of delays are certainly unacceptable for anybody, especially in this weather," Keenan said.
Farmelant said crews had to manually move the bridge to lock it back into place. Trains traveling over the bridge were temporarily restricted to 5 mph until repairs were complete, he said.
Farmelant said maritime law gives boats priority, which means the bridge must be opened when large boats need to pass.
Staff writer Paul Leighton can be reached at 978-338-2675 or by e-mail at pleighton@salemnews.com.
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