Immediate response in snow-covered Bavaria

‘Immediate’ responses are not always easy to achieve. As was also the case for the renewal of an underpass in Lengenwang, Bavaria.

This was where Hering deployed a track-bound slewing railway crane to lift in the steel frame for DB Netz AG. But it wasn't enough to just deliver the crane because a maintenance train locomotive and two carriages were also required. Hering additionally developed a logistical concept to ensure that the work could be carried out.

The underpass renewal was made all the more challenging by the framework conditions:

Relatively busy single-track line with up to 2.5% steep incline and train signal control
Only one weekend at the end of February was available for SOFO's work
Heavy goods vehicles could not get to the site
The new underpass installed was a steel frame that weighed 38 tonnes
Reinforced concrete structure with a relatively large cross-section that measured approx. 2x2.5 m

All exacerbated by the issuing of a severe weather warning for the SOFO weekend once the preparations had been completed, which forecast that temperatures would drop down to minus 17°C and that snow was to be expected. Such low temperatures would prevent work on the rail system as well as the civil engineering measures to be carried out. As the machines had already been deployed to the site, it was still possible to utilise the interruption to services and use our KRC810T to load the steel frames on to railway carriages as planned at Kempten station and then transport them by rail to Lengenwang and temporarily store them at the construction site – in spite of temperatures that had dropped to minus 10°C.

DB Netz AG was able to shut down services again during in the middle of May 2018 during which the existing underpass was demolished by the customer. The new underpass components were then lifted in using a KRC810T. The rail system was subsequently restored and the route reopened for railway traffic.

Fantastic – together we're strong!