Dutch international heavy lift and transport company Mammoet began a five year project to replace five bridges at Amsterdam Centraal Station at the end of last year.
The project involves replacing four steel railway bridges and one concrete bridge on the east side of the station allowing it to handle more trains and passengers. The company is working alongside Dutch civil engineer Dura Vermeer as part of the High Frequency Rail Transport (PHS) Programme, which includes track upgrades and station renovations.
A train passing over the bridge and work site
Each bridge is made up of three sections, with overall lengths of 24 to 28 metres and weighing between 173 and 275 tonnes. The sections are being built in the Netherlands by Hollandia and transported to the station via canal/waterways. They travel on flattop barges through the river De Lek and the Lekkanaal, arriving at the Oostertoegang area of the station.
To pass under a low footbridge near the site, the main barge is partially submerged using pontoons filled with water to make the barge sit lower. Once in position, a 90 tonne mobile crane on a temporary bridge removes the pontoons and replaces them with Mammoet’s Self Propelled Modular Transporters (SPMTs).
Passing under the footbridge
Mammoet then employs its Mega Jack 300 system to lift the bridge sections to a height of four metres, allowing SPMTs to position a support frame underneath. The sections are then rotated 90 degrees, driven off the barge across steel mats, and placed onto support towers.
The SPMTs moving into position
Installation begins with the east section, followed by the west, and finishes with the middle section, which is lifted and installed over the water.
The operation will be carried out almost entirely on water to minimise disruption, with a plan to replace one bridge each year until the project concludes in 2028.
Mammoet project manager Leo de Vette said: “We have been involved in this project since 2021 and came up with the approach to install the bridges on water to limit transport movements and disruption in the city centre. This makes it a complex operation because space is limited and there are many steps that must be carefully managed. Every change you make influences something else, and that is a major challenge for this project.”
Dura Vermeer project manager Martin de Ruijter added: “This renovation project will allow more trains to operate from the station and accommodate the growth in passenger numbers. Mammoet’s engineering expertise has proved invaluable, resulting in a solution that has allowed the station to remain operational while the work takes place, minimising disruption to passengers and the city.”
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