How SNCF Réseau set up a railway bridge in 96 hours
Our teams installed a railway bridge weighing over 1,600 tonnes on a Normandy line in record time. Here's a look back at this extraordinary operation involving 70 people during 96 hours.
A new main road under a railway line
A new main road is being built (and will be inaugurated in Summer 2025) as part of a development plan to make traffic more fluid in Bretteville-sur-Odon, in Calvados. It will cross over the Caen - Cherbourg / Caen - Rennes railway line, and SNCF Réseau has been tasked by the conurbation authority of Caen la mer with the mission to drill the railway embankment and lay a bridge in order for the future road to run under the existing tracks. Costing 9 millions euros, this extraordinary project in Normandy was financed by Caen la mer.
A technical feat…
SNCF Réseau began prefabricating the bridge in June 2024, right next to the railway line, after 5 years of design work. One of the major challenges of this project was to move and insert the bridge into the railway embankment, in its final location.
For this operation, the SNCF Réseau teams and their partners had to:
- Remove the track and catenary.
- Open a breach in the railway embankment.
- Move the 1,632-tonne bridge and install it in its final position.
- Rebuild the embankment.
- Restore the track and catenary.
- Carry out the final safety checks.
… and significant means
SNCF Réseau rolled out great technical and human resources: 70 people worked day and night during 96 hours to make this happen. Heavy equipment such as 40-ton dumper trucks and 60-ton mechanical shovels was also used. And 7000 cubic meters of soil were drained during this operation.
1,632
tons, i.e. the weight of the bridge under the railway between Caen and Cherbourg
70
people worked day and night during 96 hours
€9 million
the cost of this operation financed by Caen la mer
Four days of work
During this operation that ended on 3 November, the traffic between Caen and Cherbourg had to be cut.
Our teams at SNCF Réseau consulted with the teams at SNCF Voyageurs and the local government to determine when was the best time to run this operation, without having the traffic break impact to many people or businesses. Replacement coaches were set up so that people were able to keep traveling while the works were underway.
How SNCF Réseau built a rail bridge in Normandy