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Engineers Avoided Building Directly Over the Railway and Prepared the Entire New Structure Next to the Line Before Executing a Complex Moving Maneuver
An unconventional railway operation drew attention in Germany in late August 2026. Instead of dismantling an old bridge and constructing a new one in the same location, engineers decided to pre-build a reinforced concrete structure weighing approximately 800 tons alongside the tracks before moving it into its final position.
The intervention took place in Geltendorf, Bavaria, on a railway line connecting Munich to Buchloe. On the night of August 29-30, the massive structure moved nearly 30 meters to occupy the space of the previous bridge.
However, the movement could not be made perpendicular to the railway. Due to the presence of overhead electric railway poles, the bridge had to be shifted at an unusual angle of 115 degrees relative to the tracks.
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According to SSF Ingenieure, the engineering company responsible for part of the planning and technical optimization, this operation was part of the replacement of an old railroad crossing located over a path in a wooded area near Geltendorf.
New Bridge Was Fully Constructed Before the Old Structure Was Removed
The main aim of this strategy was to minimize the period during which the tracks needed to remain completely closed.
As a result, work began months in advance of the final operation. The area was prepared starting in February 2026, while excavation and the construction of the new bridge progressed alongside the railway in the following months.
The structure was positioned south of the existing bridge and was built while rail traffic could still continue for much of the project.
Only during a scheduled disruption window was it possible to remove the old bridge, prepare the ground, and execute the relocation of the new structure.
According to information released by SSF Ingenieure, the bridge consists of a monolithic reinforced concrete frame with inclined side wings, a solution specially designed for the conditions found at the site.
The construction and the relocation process were handled by the German company Assner, while DB InfraGO, a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn responsible for railway infrastructure, coordinated the interventions related to the track.
Electric Poles Forced Engineers to Shift 800 Tons Diagonally
Moving a bridge weighing approximately 800 tons nearly 30 meters would already require a complex engineering operation. In Geltendorf, however, there was an additional obstacle.
The positioning of the posts supporting the railway’s electrification network prevented the structure from being simply pushed in a straight line, perpendicular to the tracks.
The solution was to plan the entire movement at a 115-degree angle, allowing the bridge to navigate around existing limitations and reach its intended position.
The project also underwent several optimizations before execution. One of the changes reduced the system needed to move the structure from three sliding lines to just two.
Excavation volumes were also reduced, parts of the side wings were modified, and the thicknesses of certain concrete elements were decreased.
These modifications aimed to simplify the operation, reduce materials, and facilitate the construction of the structure next to a railway that remained integrated into one of Bavaria’s main regional links.
Railway closure concentrated heavy work in about 160 hours
Although the bridge had been previously constructed, its replacement still required a complete shutdown of the tracks during the most critical stage.
For the intervention in Geltendorf, a window of approximately 160 hours was planned, starting at 11 PM on August 26 and expected to end at 3 PM on September 2, 2026.
It was within this timeframe that teams could dismantle the previous structure, perform necessary ground work, and position the new bridge in its final place.
The main advantage of this method is precisely to avoid the need for most construction to occur directly over the railway.
In a conventional project, various stages would need to occur only after the existing bridge was removed. By constructing the new structure in advance next to the tracks, much of the work could proceed without requiring continuous closure for months.
However, there is no official information indicating how long the movement of nearly 30 meters specifically lasted. SSF confirms that the relocation occurred overnight between August 29 and 30, but does not provide an exact duration for the maneuver.
Deutsche Bahn took advantage of the interruption to carry out other works on the line between Munich and Buchloe
The replacement of the Geltendorf bridge was not carried out in isolation.
DB InfraGO took advantage of the rail interruption to concentrate a series of infrastructure works along the corridor between Munich and Buchloe, including track renewal, replacement of switches, and intervention on another railway bridge.
As a result, the impacts on passengers were broader than those caused solely by the Geltendorf structure.
During the construction period, various regional services were altered, involving the use of replacement buses on certain segments and changes in the operation of lines utilizing the corridor.
Even the international trains ECE 88 between Munich, Lindau, and Zurich were affected by the planned set of interventions.
Deutsche Bahn states that the works are part of an effort to improve the reliability, safety, and quality of the railway infrastructure in the region.
Old Structure Had Reached the End of Its Useful Life
The bridge replaced in Geltendorf had already reached, according to information attributed to Deutsche Bahn by regional media, the end of its useful life.
In addition to the natural wear and tear caused by decades of railway operation, the modernization allows for the infrastructure to be adapted to the current needs of the line.
Municipal information indicates that the new crossing has approximately 4.5 meters in width and 5 meters in height.
Complementary works in the region are expected to continue through 2026, even after the installation of the new bridge.
The operation demonstrates how large railway structures can be constructed almost fully assembled outside their final position and then transferred in a relatively short window.
In the case of Geltendorf, the challenge was even greater: nearly 800 tons of concrete had to travel about 30 meters diagonally, at 115 degrees to the tracks, before trains could resume normal use of the railway corridor.
