02.07.2024 | Press release

HGK AG renews railway bridge in Frechen during the summer holidays

Cologne. Häfen und Güterverkehr Köln AG (HGK) is renewing a railway bridge on Holzstraße / L 496 in coordination with the city of Frechen from 8 July 2024. To this end, the road will be fully closed between Monday, 8 July 2024 and Tuesday, 20 August 2024. For light rail passengers-During this period, a rail replacement service with buses will be set up in the section between the "Haus Vorst" stop and the final stop "Frechen Benzelrath".

This bridge structure on Holzstraße in Frechen will be renewed by HGK AG during the summer holidays. Photo: HGK AG

The structure consists of a total of three bridge sections, which are used for local public transport and rail freight transport. Two of the structures are now being replaced. A third bridge section, on the other hand, is being completely dismantled as the shunting track there is no longer needed.

The supporting structures of the bridge sections date back to 1966 and are made of prestressing steel, which is now showing defects due to age, physical processes and dynamic traffic loads. Appropriate measures are necessary in order to continue to guarantee traffic safety. Not all parts of the structure will be replaced: the new superstructures will be pushed in sideways using special vehicles and lowered onto the existing substructures, which will be retained.

The steel superstructures weigh a total of 175 tonnes. In addition to the bridge replacements, further work such as securing the railway embankment, building a new sheet pile basin, renewing the track drainage and repairing the points is planned by colleagues from the HGK Netz division, so that the time of the track and road closures can be used optimally.

The total cost of the construction work amounts to around five million euros. After the summer holidays, further concrete repair work will be carried out on the bridge substructures. For this purpose, the road can be opened to traffic on one side in both directions.