Railway project in Nijvel

Project on track

Nijvel, Belgium

Whether it’s about constructing wind turbines at sea, installing a bridge across a river, or the remediation of a polluted site: large projects only succeed when you pay attention to the smallest details. Even in oversized structures, the margins are narrow, with less than a centimetre to spare. 

This is where excellent operational control, great engineering, and teamwork come into play. Let’s take a closer look at the enlargement of railway bridges, where there’s not only little room for error, but also great time pressure.

Railway project in Nijvel

Two bridges in one week

For one large infrastructure project, several new railway bridges had to be installed, two of which we’re zooming in on. On the one hand, there is a bridge where the road crosses above the train tracks. On the other hand, we installed a bridge where cars pass below the railway.

Placing the two bridges took place during one single week, when the rail operator placed these tracks out of service. In a narrow time frame, the bridges had to get to their final positions, clean-up had to be done, and we had to prepare the tracks for re-entering service. Even a brief delay would have a significant impact on local railway operations.

One bridge crosses the railway

The first bridge

Fitting 1,400 tonnes like a puzzle piece

The first bridge, where the road passes above the railway tracks, was built above the old brick tunnel, and supported by struts. During the closure of the tracks, we covered and protected the tracks, demolished the tunnel, and placed the new bridgein its final position two metres lower. Extra difficulty: the crew needed to navigate between pipelines for gas, water, and electricity.

Placeholder want beeld onvindbaar
1,400
tonnes
Weight of the first bridge
40
m
Bridge span
1
cm
Margin for tolerance
20
h
Bridge lowering

The second bridge

Sliding 1,200 tonnes into place

We built the second bridge next to the original one, as the train tracks pass above the road. During the track’s closure, we demolished the old construction, cleared the rubble, and rolled the new bridge into place. Afterwards, new railway tracks and electricity lines were placed. We are building another bridge next to the new bridge to double the number of tracks, which can be done without interrupting normal train traffic.

Placeholder want beeld onvindbaar
1,200
tonnes
Weight of the second bridge
32
m
Bridge span
2
cm
Margin for tolerance
4
h
Bridge positioning
Project control is key. It starts with an excellent preparation and study. We check and check again during the entire project; we constantly adjust for the optimal result. But what tops everything is my crew. They prove that being in tune with each other and excellent communication is invaluable.

Guillaume Stoz,  Project Leader

Foto niet uploadbaar te klein

test

test

Article details