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December 28, 2007

Tender still on guard at Beverly railroad crossing

Paul Leighton

BEVERLY | The railroad crossing at Cabot and Rantoul streets remains one of only three manned crossings in the MBTA system, even though the agency says the position is unnecessary due to the automatic gates.

A crossing tender, as the job is called, has been posted at Gloucester Crossing for decades. He sits in a shack next to the tracks every day from 6 a.m. to midnight and emerges whenever a train passes through | 15 times per day on weekdays, 14 on weekends, according to the MBTA schedule.

MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo said the crossing tender position should be eliminated, but the agency has been ordered by the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, which oversees transportation safety in the state, to keep someone on duty. The only other manned crossings are in Medford and Wakefield.

"We don't think they're necessary," Pesaturo said. "The crossings are fully automated. They would not operate any differently if there wasn't a person there."

Tim Shevlin, executive director of the Department of Public Utilities, said the DPU ordered a crossing tender for Gloucester Crossing decades ago after a train crashed into a vehicle stuck in traffic on the tracks.

Shevlin said the crossing tender has a portable radio and can notify an oncoming train if a vehicle is stuck on the tracks.

"It's my understanding that the particular location is very congested, and vehicles routinely stop on the track," Shevlin said. "Even though there are gates there, the department determined years ago that an extra safety measure was needed."

The crossing tenders are paid by the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Co., a private company that is hired by the MBTA to run its commuter rail system. A spokeswoman for Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad said the company does not reveal salaries.

Shevlin said the crossing tenders' salaries are ultimately paid by taxpayers because the money is included in the MBTA's budget.

Pesaturo said the MBTA successfully petitioned the Department of Public Utilities to eliminate a crossing tender in Waltham about 10 years ago. He said the last time the MBTA asked about eliminating the Beverly crossing tender, the mayor sent a letter opposing his removal.

Pesaturo said he didn't know when that was, but it predated the administration of Mayor Bill Scanlon, who was first elected in 1994.

Sgt. Joseph Shairs, the city's traffic officer, said the crossing "absolutely" requires a person on duty. The crossing is located at the intersection of three busy roads | Cabot, Rantoul and Colon streets. The intersection is so wide that vehicles could easily drive around the gates, Shairs said.

"Having a live body there prevents a lot of people from taking liberties that they otherwise might take," Shairs said.

A crossing tender on duty on a recent morning declined to answer questions. Earlier, he was spotted helping a woman walk across the icy crossing.

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