Inventive bridging solution for Wesel railway bridge
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Inventive bridging solution for Wesel railway bridge

In October 2024, using an ingenious combination of four SPMT sets, our bridge team installed the first 156-metre-long and 1,080-tonne bridge over the River Lippe in Wesel, Germany. Railway line Emmerich-Oberhausen is 73 kilometres long and an important part of the European freight transport network. On the Emmerich-Oberhausen line, two existing railway viaducts over the River Lippe were replaced and an additional link was built.

Wesel railway bridge

The Emmerich-Oberhausen railway line, also known as the Hollandstrecke, runs between the Dutch border at Elten and Oberhausen. River Lippe is a tributary of the Rhine and the railway line runs across it. Watch the entire timelapse here.

Good preparation

Our engineers faced a challenging job. This is because the Lippe river is inaccessible and too shallow for heavy pontoons. Navigating the railway bridge was therefore not an option. We tackled this project as follows:

  • Our engineers found a “dry” solution to bridge the river. In fact, the bridge was assembled in one piece on one bank.

  • A temporary embankment had to be constructed on both sides of the river that could be used during the relocation. This was a major civil engineering challenge that resulted in a temporary, localised narrowing of the river Lippe.

  • The bridge was first jacked up to the level of the abutments (approx. 3.5 metres). Meanwhile, the SPMT sets were assembled and equipped with support equipment to take over the bridge from the jacks. Given the very limited space available at the construction site, combined with the amount of equipment that had to be used, this was another sizeable challenge.

  • Three sets of SPMTs were placed asymmetrically under the bridge, leaving one end of the bridge free. One set of SPMTs was assembled and deployed over the embankment. Using the three sets of SPMTs, the bridge was driven to the embankment so that the end of the bridge could be carefully taken over by the fourth set of SPMTs on the other side. The SPMT sets were then picked up and manoeuvred to place the bridge in the correct position next to the abutments. Finally, the bridge was placed sideways between the abutments and lowered.

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