The steel structure of a railway bridge in Budapest, which is nearly 80 years old, has been removed

From an engineering perspective, the specialists carried out an extremely complex phase of work at the weekend as part of the construction of the Southern Circular Railway. They also lifted and removed the old railway bridge spanning Bartók Béla út.

One of the country’s highest-capacity cranes in action

To move the steel structure – which is nearly 80 years old and weighs several hundred tonnes – one of the country’s largest cranes, with a lifting capacity of 700 tonnes, was deployed. In addition, specialised self-propelled modular transporters (SPMTs) helped ensure the operation’s success.

They carried out the work whilst all road and tram traffic was suspended

Whilst all road and tram traffic was suspended, a major steel structure was transported along the railway line towards Kelenföld, where its dismantling is due to begin. With the removal of the old bridge, construction of the Southern Circular Railway can continue. The aim of the project is to enable traffic to run on three or four tracks between Ferencváros and Kelenföld, rather than just two. Our website provides regular updates on the works.

A new bridge structure may be built on the old site

Dávid Vitézy, Minister for Transport and Investment, also wrote about the weekend’s works on his social media page. In his post, he noted that trains have been using one of the new double-track bridges for months now, and that the old structure, which has now been removed, may be replaced by another similar new double-track bridge. As part of the project, new stations may be built at Nádorkert, Közvágóhíd and Népliget.
In his post, the minister emphasised that the Southern Circular Railway is not solely about freight transport, but is a fundamental prerequisite for the meaningful development of suburban and long-distance rail transport in the capital and its surrounding areas.