Waldshut–Koblenz Rhine Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Waldshut–Koblenz Rhine Bridge is a single-track railway bridge on the Turgi–Koblenz–Waldshut railway, between Waldshut
and Koblenz AG
, crossing the Rhine and the border between Germany and Switzerland. It was the first railway bridge built over the Rhine below Lake Constance
. It is the only major railway bridge over the Rhine, which is completely preserved in its original condition and is one of Europe's few lattice truss bridges.
to construct the cross-border Turgi–Koblenz–Waldshut railway, including the Rhine bridge. Thus on 18 August 1859, the line was commissioned as the first connection between the Baden Mainline
and the Swiss railway network. The current main rail connection between Germany and Switzerland, the Basel Link Line, was opened 14 years later. The Baden
architect Robert Gerwig
designed the bridge and managed its construction. The steel superstructure was supplied and installed by the Gebrüder Benckiser company of Pforzheim
. The bridge was designed for two tracks, but only one track was installed. Due to increasing traffic loads, the bridge was strengthened in 1912 and 1913, being reinforced to carry 18 ton axle loads and then the track was moved from the eastern side of the bridge to the middle. The demolition of the bridge planned by the German army on 24 April 1945 was not in fact carried out, so the technical landmark of the bridge in its original design is still preserved today.
In 1967 a speed restriction
of 10 km/h was imposed on the bridge because the bridge’s age and safety concerns. A report of the University of Karlsruhe in 1974 estimated the bridge’s remaining useful life as 10 to 15 years, provided that new corrosion protection was applied; this was carried out in 1978. Ten years later Deutsche Bundesbahn
closed the line, after Swiss Federal Railways (SBB), the owners of half the bridge, refused a request for an updated report on the bridge. This was followed in 1991 by extensive repair work, including local reinforcement measures and renewed anti-corrosion measures, allowing the maximum speed for passenger trains to be raised to 45 km/h and extending the bridge’s useful remaining life to 40 years. Until the electrification of the Waldshut–Koblenz gap in 1999, passenger services on the bridge were carried out by diesel multiple units of Deutsche Bahn
. From 1999, SBB took over management of services on the bridge using electric multiple units. In 2007, about 34 trains daily operated as line S41 of the Zürich S-Bahn
between Waldshut and Winterthur
.
on a modern concrete arch bridge.
The superstructure of the lattice truss bridge is made of wrought iron and is box shaped in cross-section. At has a continuous beam along its length. It has two vertical close-knit, grid-like lattice truss with a height of 5.13 m and a track base of 4.95 m. The diagonal struts are formed from flat steel and riveted together at the intersections. The vertical pillars consist of four riveted corners.
The foundation of the pillars are built on driven wooden piles that are about 10 m long, topped by concrete pile caps. The tops of the pillars are 14 m high and 3 m wide and made of stone masonry.
Waldshut
Waldshut is a district in the south of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neighbouring districts are Lörrach, Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald and Schwarzwald-Baar; followed in the south by the Swiss cantons of Schaffhausen, Zürich and Aargau.-History:The district dates to the Oberamt Waldshut, which was...
and Koblenz AG
Koblenz, Switzerland
Koblenz is a municipality in the district of Zurzach in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-History:Koblenz is first mentioned in 10th or 11th Century as Confluentia, for the confluence of the Aare and Rhine rivers. In 1265 it was mentioned as Cobilz. In the Roman era a goods yard and...
, crossing the Rhine and the border between Germany and Switzerland. It was the first railway bridge built over the Rhine below Lake Constance
Lake Constance
Lake Constance is a lake on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps, and consists of three bodies of water: the Obersee , the Untersee , and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, called the Seerhein.The lake is situated in Germany, Switzerland and Austria near the Alps...
. It is the only major railway bridge over the Rhine, which is completely preserved in its original condition and is one of Europe's few lattice truss bridges.
History
On 26 August 1857 the Grand Duchy of Baden State Railways signed an agreement with the Swiss Northeastern RailwaySwiss Northeastern Railway
The Swiss Northeastern Railway or NOB was an early railway company in Switzerland.In 1853 the Swiss Northern Railway merged with the Lake Constance and Rheinfall Railways under the name Swiss Northeastern Railway.The main instigator was Alfred Escher...
to construct the cross-border Turgi–Koblenz–Waldshut railway, including the Rhine bridge. Thus on 18 August 1859, the line was commissioned as the first connection between the Baden Mainline
Baden Mainline
The Baden Mainline is a German railway line that was built between 1840 and 1863. It runs through Baden, from Mannheim via Heidelberg, Karlsruhe, Offenburg, Freiburg, Basle, Waldshut, Schaffhausen and Singen to Konstanz...
and the Swiss railway network. The current main rail connection between Germany and Switzerland, the Basel Link Line, was opened 14 years later. The Baden
Grand Duchy of Baden
The Grand Duchy of Baden was a historical state in the southwest of Germany, on the east bank of the Rhine. It existed between 1806 and 1918.-History:...
architect Robert Gerwig
Robert Gerwig
Robert Gerwig was a German civil engineer.Gerwig was born on 2 May 1820 and attended the Großherzogliches Polytechnikum where he studied civil engineering, primarily road construction....
designed the bridge and managed its construction. The steel superstructure was supplied and installed by the Gebrüder Benckiser company of Pforzheim
Pforzheim
Pforzheim is a town of nearly 119,000 inhabitants in the state of Baden-Württemberg, southwest Germany at the gate to the Black Forest. It is world-famous for its jewelry and watch-making industry. Until 1565 it was the home to the Margraves of Baden. Because of that it gained the nickname...
. The bridge was designed for two tracks, but only one track was installed. Due to increasing traffic loads, the bridge was strengthened in 1912 and 1913, being reinforced to carry 18 ton axle loads and then the track was moved from the eastern side of the bridge to the middle. The demolition of the bridge planned by the German army on 24 April 1945 was not in fact carried out, so the technical landmark of the bridge in its original design is still preserved today.
In 1967 a speed restriction
Slow Zone
A slow zone, in America, is an area where a train is forced to slow down for either structural, construction, power, signal, or track problems. Slow zones limit a train to about 10-35 MPH...
of 10 km/h was imposed on the bridge because the bridge’s age and safety concerns. A report of the University of Karlsruhe in 1974 estimated the bridge’s remaining useful life as 10 to 15 years, provided that new corrosion protection was applied; this was carried out in 1978. Ten years later Deutsche Bundesbahn
Deutsche Bundesbahn
The Deutsche Bundesbahn or DB was formed as the state railway of the newly established Federal Republic of Germany on September 7, 1949 as a successor of the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft '...
closed the line, after Swiss Federal Railways (SBB), the owners of half the bridge, refused a request for an updated report on the bridge. This was followed in 1991 by extensive repair work, including local reinforcement measures and renewed anti-corrosion measures, allowing the maximum speed for passenger trains to be raised to 45 km/h and extending the bridge’s useful remaining life to 40 years. Until the electrification of the Waldshut–Koblenz gap in 1999, passenger services on the bridge were carried out by diesel multiple units of Deutsche Bahn
Deutsche Bahn
Deutsche Bahn AG is the German national railway company, a private joint stock company . Headquartered in Berlin, it came into existence in 1994 as the successor to the former state railways of Germany, the Deutsche Bundesbahn of West Germany and the Deutsche Reichsbahn of East Germany...
. From 1999, SBB took over management of services on the bridge using electric multiple units. In 2007, about 34 trains daily operated as line S41 of the Zürich S-Bahn
Zürich S-Bahn
The Zurich S-Bahn system is a network of rapid transit rail lines that has been incrementally expanded to cover the ZVV area, which comprises the entire canton of Zurich and portions of neighboring cantons The Zurich S-Bahn system is a network of rapid transit rail lines that has been...
between Waldshut and Winterthur
Winterthur
Winterthur is a city in the canton of Zurich in northern Switzerland. It has the country's sixth largest population with an estimate of more than 100,000 people. In the local dialect and by its inhabitants, it is usually abbreviated to Winti...
.
Construction
The approximately 190 m long bridge section has a track on the upper level of the truss bridge and its spans over the Rhine consist of two outer spans that are 37.24 m long and a central span of 54.90 m. This is followed on the Swiss bank by a brick viaduct with six semi-circular arches, having an inside diameter of 7.5 m. The greatly varying spans of the main bridge result from the nature of the currents in the Rhine. On the German side, after the line runs on an embankment for some 50 metres, it crosses over the E54European route E54
European route E 54 is a road part of the International E-road network. It begins in Paris, France and ends in München, Germany.The road follows:** Paris → Sens → Troyes — same route as E60** Troyes → Langres — same route as E17...
on a modern concrete arch bridge.
The superstructure of the lattice truss bridge is made of wrought iron and is box shaped in cross-section. At has a continuous beam along its length. It has two vertical close-knit, grid-like lattice truss with a height of 5.13 m and a track base of 4.95 m. The diagonal struts are formed from flat steel and riveted together at the intersections. The vertical pillars consist of four riveted corners.
The foundation of the pillars are built on driven wooden piles that are about 10 m long, topped by concrete pile caps. The tops of the pillars are 14 m high and 3 m wide and made of stone masonry.