Developed by Skanska, one of the largest construction and development companies in the world, in collaboration with Network Rail, the owner and infrastructure manager of most of the railway network in Great Britain, and HS2, Bridge 13, the largest single-span railway bridge in the West Midlands, was recently installed on the Stechford to Aston (SAS) rail line.
The 92-metre-long bridge featuring approximately 2,600-tonne of steel and concrete structure, was pre-assembled over the last 22 months in a massive compound adjacent to the existing railway lines before being moved into place by 18 Self Propelled Modular Transporters (SPMTs).
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This approach, (the construction of the bridge on-site) reportedly reduced carbon emissions and reduced the number of lorry movements on local roads, reducing the impact on the local community.
The installation process took just under three hours.
Remarks on the Bridge 13 Installation process
Moving this 2,600 tonne bridge into place according to Patrick Cawley, director of ‘On Network Works’ for HS2 and Network Rail was “no mean feat.” It required extensive planning and effort.
Cawley thanked everyone that worked so hard to bring this impressive structure to Birmingham adding that it would ensure Britain’s new zero-carbon, high-speed railway HS2 works in harmony with the existing rail routes into the second city.
Rosario Barcena, Skanska Rail programme director on the other hand said that this is a significant milestone on the project that will improve connectivity and pave the way for the HS2 route into Birmingham City Centre.
“It was a complex project in terms of design and engineering, but thanks to a collaborative approach involving Network Rail, HS2, our supply chain, and the local community, we were able to achieve this successful outcome. I’d like to thank all of the teams who were instrumental in making this happen,” concluded the Skanska Rail programme director.
