In-situ solution: A new rail link is being built in the Netherlands to connect the town of Utrecht directly to Schiphol international airport in Amsterdam.
At the Utrecht end, the two railway lines are elevated and supported on columns. Bridge members are produced by contractor Hochtief using reinforced concrete elements cast in-situ on the supports.
The machinery for casting the concrete was erected by Mammoet using two Demag AC 650 telescopic cranes (650t each maximum capacity) and a Demag CC 2600 crawler crane (450t maximum lifting capacity). Initially, the individual modules of the machinery were assembled on the ground and then raised in large sections to a height of 15m where they were mounted on the first concrete support.
To raise the loads, weighing up to 380t, to their full height, all cranes worked together for each lift. Fully erected, the concrete component production plant weighs around 1,400t and it is 140m long. It moves under hydraulic power from support to support and will fabricate the bridge elements in this way over distances of 1,700m and 1,900m for the two railway lines.
