

Felbermayr Lifts and Installs a >1000t Truss Bridge in Central Berlin
Moving a steel truss bridge weighing almost 1,100t in the middle of Berlin and then installing it over railway tracks was a particular challenge even for the heavy-lift experts from Felbermayr’s Engineered Solutions department in Krefeld. This order was successfully completed at the end of September.
The replacement of the old railway bridge in the middle of Berlin’s Lichtenberg district was an important milestone in the modernization of the railway infrastructure. The old “Kietz” crossing structure had reached the end of its technical life and had to be replaced. The team around the 29-year-old project manager of Engineered Solutions, Jens Fuchs, had to face a number of challenges: “Firstly, tracks have to be closed for railway infrastructure projects. This means that our work has to run smoothly within a limited time frame,” explains Fuchs. In addition, the cramped space in the middle of the metropolis also challenged the heavy lift experts. “Our assembly area was hardly bigger than the bridge itself,” says Fuchs, describing the conditions on site. Shortly before the start of the project, unexpected subsidence of the embankment and underground cables also became problems. “We had to replan several times, but were ultimately able to start on time,” says Fuchs.

A 230t crane from the Felbermayr branch in Bautzen as well as work platforms and forklifts from Dresden ensured the installation of the heavy-duty equipment Photograph courtesy of Felbermayr/Kompier
With a lot of commitment, the efficient use of heavy-duty equipment such as step presses, climbing systems, skidding tracks and strand jacks, as well as the support of the Felbermayr branches in Bautzen and Dresden, the project started on schedule after a year of planning. To do this, the complex technology was initially set up on two construction sites. The starting point for the skidding of the 63m long and 12m wide truss bridge was a former skate park south of the railway embankment. Engineered Solutions also provided support here: “We started in the spring to transport the 24m long and 80-ton bridge segments to the pre-assembly site with our SPMTs. The bridge was manufactured there segment by segment,” says Fuchs about the preparation process.

Moving a a steel truss bridge weighing almost 1,100 tons in the middle of the German capital and then installing it over railway tracks was a particular challenge even for the heavy-lift experts from Felbermayr’s Engineered Solutions department in Krefeld. Photograph courtesy of Felbermayr/Kompier
The actual “battle of materials” began in September. The bridge structure, with a final weight of 1,100t, was first stacked up to a height of over 4m using step lifts. This was necessary in order to then position a climbing system including girders and a skidding track under the bridge in order to raise the bridge as a whole by a further 4.5m – this meant that the level of the embankment could be reached at a height of over 8m. The work continued with a 24m long transverse skidding from the assembly area to the embankment. “To do this, we set up two girder tracks on the embankment and connected them to the girders under the bridge and then set up the skidding track on the girder tracks,” says Fuchs, explaining the technical process. For the assembly of the girders, some of which were self-supporting. These were erected using a 230t crane from the Bautzen branch as well as work platforms and forklifts from Dresden. The bridge was finally taken up on the embankment using hydraulic skidding bearings and prepared for the final “act”.

At the end of September 2024, the truss bridge was successfully stacked over the railway tracks. It has a span of around 63m Photograph courtesy of Felbermayr/Kompier
In order to bring the new railway bridge into its final position over the tracks of the Berlin-Küstrin-Kietz connection, a further 80 meter longitudinal shifting was carried out. To do this, the steel bridge was first guided over the railway embankment towards the tracks using shifting bearings. For the longitudinal shifting, a total of six tower sections with a height of over 7m were erected next to the railway tracks. These were needed for the subsequent unstacking. As the safety distance between the S-Bahn and the assembly area was too small, two towers could only be erected during a break in the line closures, one week before the longitudinal shifting. Due to the tight time window of the line closures, every move had to be perfect. After all, millions of city residents rely on the commuter line. “But that also worked wonderfully and smoothly,” says Fuchs proudly. In the final effort, the bridge slid over the shifting bearings from the railway embankment towards the tower sections. Within 48 hours, the new truss bridge was finally unstacking and assembled in its final position seven meters above the ground. “Immediately afterwards, we had to dismantle the tower sections again,” says Fuchs. The experts at Engineered Solutions can also “clean up” in record time. The completion of the project was crowned by a more than satisfied client. “We received a lot of praise and thanks,” concludes Fuchs.

(L to R) Matthias Pichl and Ing. Jens Fuchs
With the highly successful completion of the project, Jens Fuchs is not only celebrating his tenth anniversary in the Felbermayr Group. With his debut as project manager for a bridge shift, the youngster has also successfully completed his thesis and thus his degree in civil engineering at the University of Applied Sciences in Berlin. Born in Erlangen, he started his successful career with an apprenticeship as a forwarding agent in the Felbermayr branch in Nuremberg. With the support of Felbermayr, Fuchs expanded his skills and advanced from clerk to business administrator.
During his subsequent studies in Berlin, Fuchs continued to work part-time. After successfully completing his studies in 2023, he wanted to take on a new challenge within the company and found it in the Engineered Solutions department in Krefeld. There he will now demonstrate his expertise as a project engineer and project manager.
Featured Title photograph
courtesy of Felbermayr/Kompier
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