Those impolite bridges don't know how to drive and are always switching lanes to jump in front of barges. It's no wonder they get hit now and then.

Figure this: Consumers can buy a GPS navigation system for $200. Whatever was driving that barge doubtless had a GPS-enabled chart plotter and probably an GPS-enabled autopilot. Winds were low. And, of course, the bridge was in its usual place.

Yet the Herald story quotes the T that "damage to the Beverly-Salem drawbridge is believed to be significant."

I'm curious to hear an explanation for this one. If it is purely negligence (or perhaps booze) Massachusetts should bring back the stocks and sentence the responsible parties to 30 days in the stocks...with the penalty to be served during rush hours at the affected commuter rail stations after the bridge is repaired.

This is what this morning's MBTA.com alert (still) has to say about the Newburyport/Rockport line:

Commuter Rail Newburyport/Rockport service experiencing significant delays due to damage to Beverly drawbridge. A bus shuttle is running between Beverly and Salem Stations. This is a significant service impact. Please allow extra time for your commute or seek an alternate route. 12/21/2007 7:21 AM

Then go see what the T's spokesman said to the Herald. The alert seems... understated, compared to what's in the article. By 8AM, people in Lynn station were being told there were no trains and to go catch a bus to get into Boston. I mean, who knows if that was actually true either, but that's kind of the point. This morning's delay wasn't their fault, but it was the fourth morning this week with delays, and they can't even be bothered to provide people with accurate information. It'd be nice to feel like they were making an effort, but I guess that's not going to happen.

This somehow had a chain-reaction effect on the Lowell line. The train I had intended to come in on was cancelled, and I had to wait another half hour. Perhaps they had to divert a train to the Rockport line?