Hamburg's new 3,700-ton Sternbrücke railway bridge begins move to final position

The shell of the new Sternbrücke, a 108-meter-long and 21-meter-wide, support-free tied-arch structure. Source: Christian Charisius/dpa

A 3,700-ton colossus is rolling through Hamburg. The new Sternbrücke has left its assembly site and is moving step by step to its final location. The new construction is set to transform an entire district.

Successful Intermediate Step

On its way to its final position, the new Sternbrücke has successfully completed an important intermediate step. In front of several hundred onlookers, the 3,700-ton steel colossus was pushed sideways from its assembly site approximately 50 meters onto Max-Brauer-Allee. Tomorrow, Thursday, the 108-meter-long and 21-meter-wide structure is to be moved several hundred meters along the road to its destination in the heart of Hamburg.

"I am very satisfied and full of joy," said Janna Widmaier, project manager for Deutsche Bahn. She and her team had been working toward the dates on Wednesday and Thursday "for years." Before the big moment, she was "positively excited."

Lars de Haas was also completely relaxed after the successful maneuver. "We were a bit faster than planned. That gives us more peace for the remaining work," summarized the project manager of the Dutch company Mammoet, which carried out the transverse shift.

She planned everything very precisely: Janna Widmaier is project manager at DB InfraGO. Source: Christian Charisius/dpa

Technical Details of the Move

The new bridge was welded together on site and placed on 48 so-called SPMTs (Self-Propelled Modular Transporters). The shift onto the road then took place on a total of 1,088 wheels, which can rotate 360 degrees. Max-Brauer-Allee was raised by an average of about 60 centimeters, with steel plates laid on top. The wheels ensure the necessary load distribution.

Bridge to Be Raised to Six Meters

Before the bridge is pushed to its final location, another intermediate step was scheduled to take place during the course of Wednesday. Step by step, the colossal structure was to be raised to a height of six meters above street level. "That is also the later installation height," said Janna Widmaier. A total of eight hours are planned for this process.

A Central Component of Hamburg's Rail Network

The Sternbrücke on the so-called Verbindungsbahn is a central component of the Hanseatic city's rail network. Until the current closure, around 900 regional and long-distance trains as well as S-Bahn trains ran daily over the four tracks. However, after approximately 100 years of operation, the structure had reached the end of its technical service life.

Max-Brauer-Allee in Hamburg-Altona: There wasn't much space left. Source: Christian Charisius/dpa

According to Deutsche Bahn, the condition of the installed steel and the future requirements for the structure were decisive in this decision. "The steel of the current superstructures is from 1926. It is fatigued, not weldable, and no longer meets today's standards," the railway said.

Criticism and Controversy

The new construction had repeatedly faced criticism in recent years. Among other things, music clubs that were housed under the old structure lost their home.

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