Randklev bridge in Ringebu municipality was taken by the flood and destroyed by the extreme weather “Hans”, which ravaged Eastern Norway in August. Since the bridge collapse, train traffic on the Dovrebanen has been limited. Bane Nor has worked to repair damage after several landslides on the stretch. But now that almost all damage along the Dovrebanen has been rectified, only the work on the railway bridge remains. And this work started today. Mega crane to the rescue Each truss, i.e. the steel elements, to be lifted from Gudbrandsdalslågen weighs around 270 tonnes. Then another mega-crane is needed, and one such does not exist in Norway. The crane that will lift the bridge elements came from Denmark with 81 trucks. It can lift 1,300 tonnes, and has a weight of 1,450 tonnes. And for those of you who are particularly interested: The crane is a Liebherr LR 11350. This mega crane is the first step on the road to reopening the Dovrebanen. Photo: Skjermbilde/kunde.byggekamera.no/Bane Nor Today, the crane is lifting the bridge element closest to Ringebu, and the next element will be moved ashore on Thursday. Possibility of reuse Henrik Eineteig Wedum, assistant project manager at Bane Nor, recently told news that the work at Randklev bridge is a main priority. According to him, today’s lift is the first milestone in restoring the train connection through Gudbrandsdalen. – I am excited about today. Now we have rigged up the monster crane, and we will lift the first truss on land. The trusses will be thoroughly examined with a view to whether they can be used again. – This is what we see as the absolute fastest way to re-establish the connection. We have people ready both to examine and to repair the trusses. But Bane Nor currently has no forecast for when the section will open to traffic. And if the bridge elements cannot be used again, the uncertainty is greater. – Then we are talking about a completely different project that will be considerably larger, says Wedum. Before trains can cross the river, a new bridge abutment must be built anyway. This work will take place continuously when the cleaning job is finished. Henrik Eineteig Wedum is assistant project manager at Bane Nor and currently works in Ringebu. – The crane supplier has many complicated lifts, but it is clear that this is a special job for them as well. So they are excited about it, but we are very confident in the work they will do. Photo: Reidar Gregersen / news Looking at different solutions Despite the fact that many people are getting impatient, Wedum says that the process has so far gone quickly. Necessary investigations, applications and planning are things that take time. – We can never risk safety here. It depends on us having a good foundation to work on. The most important thing is that it is safe, says Wedum. An inspection in 2019 recommended an underwater check of the Randklev bridge. It was not done because it is not a requirement in Bane Nor’s regulations. On Bane Nor’s pages, they write that they are working with several possible solutions to re-establish the railway connection over Gudbrandsdalslågen: Repair of the current bridge Build a temporary bridge Build a completely new bridge
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Everything is ready to hoist the bridge elements from Randklev bridge on the Dovrebanen from Gudbrandsdalslågen – news Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio
