The man killed by a commuter rail train at Andover's Essex Street crossing on Saturday, Aug. 8, was Peter Beaven, 82, an Andover resident, the Essex County District Attorney's Office confirmed this week.

Beaven was struck shortly before 4:30 p.m. near Andover Station on the MBTA's Haverhill commuter rail line, according to the Eagle-Tribune. MBTA Transit Police said Beaven entered the railroad right-of-way as a train was approaching. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Andover police and firefighters were dispatched at approximately 4:23 p.m. North Andover provided mutual aid so Andover officers could return to other calls while the investigation continued. The tracks reopened around 6:45 p.m., more than two hours after the initial call.

As of Aug. 8, the MBTA Transit Police investigation into the circumstances of Beaven's death remained ongoing. No update has been released since.

A crossing with a deadly history

Beaven's death is the second pedestrian fatality at the Essex Street crossing since 2023 and at least the seventh serious incident at the site since 2016, according to AndoverMANews.

In July 2023, Zhongli Zhang, 85, also an Andover resident, was killed at the same crossing after waiting for a southbound commuter train to pass. As Zhang crossed, he was struck by a northbound Amtrak Downeaster traveling immediately behind the first train. Investigators said the crossing gates remained down and signals appeared to be operating properly.

Other incidents at the crossing include an Amtrak Downeaster striking a BMW stopped on the tracks in September 2023, a freight train striking a car in October 2025 that seriously injured an 84-year-old driver, and a freight train clipping a car in December 2025.

The crossing sits at a complicated intersection where Essex, Pearson and Railroad streets meet the tracks in downtown Andover, near Andover Station.

$3.3 million safety redesign stalled

Andover received a $3.3 million MassWorks grant in 2023 for an Essex Street corridor safety redesign targeting three intersections along Essex Street, including the railroad crossing. The proposed redesign would shorten crossing distances, more clearly separate vehicle and pedestrian paths, and better define where vehicles should stop at the intersection.

Town Manager Andrew Flanagan said earlier in 2026 that the town was prepared to begin construction but was awaiting final approval from the MBTA. The MBTA said it supports Andover's proposed reconfiguration and noted the crossing already has federally required flashing lights and gates.

No timeline for MBTA approval or a construction start date has been publicly announced.