These works belong to the renovation of the section between Mechelen and Leuven, part of Infrabel's line 53, with the aim of modernizing the railway.
Sarens was in charge of lifting and installing the 4 bridge decks, with each piece being 24 meters long, 3.6 meters wide and weighing 85 tons.
This project, which posed a logistical challenge especially due to the small space between the catenaries through which they had to operate, was successfully completed using a Demag 700 crane.
Sarens, world leader in heavy lifting, engineered transport and crane rental services, has participated in the replacement of the railway bridge over the Barebeek on behalf of its client Mols Contractors. This structure, which is part of line 53 between Mechelen and Leuven, had to be renovated and replaced due to heavy wear and tear and in order to adapt it to new signalling and speed technologies.
Infrabel, the company that manages the Belgian railway infrastructure, has started a complete renovation project for the line 53 between Mechelen and Leuven in order to modernize the track and improve the infrastructure.
For this operation, the Sarens engineering team selected a Demag AC700 crane in a WiHi24m configuration with a lifting capacity of 110 tons. Transporting the equipment to the site and then erecting it was complicated due to roadworks, which required the use of an alternative route with narrower access, so private land had to be leased and modified to allow the crane to make the turns and carry out the work. Twelve trailers were needed to transport the rigging and bridge decks.
Once the crane was assembled, the decks were prepared for lifting. Each piece was 24 meters long and 3.6 meters wide, with the two central ones reaching a weight of 85 tons. The main challenge of the operation was to place the decks between the catenary wires with a narrow working space. However, despite the complexity of the job, it was successfully completed within the allotted time.
The route between Mechelen and Leuven was inaugurated in 1837 and has undergone several modifications and upgrades over the years, the most important being the electrification of the line, a project undertaken in 1956. Infrabel has now identified the need to replace the railway bridge over the Barebeek due to heavy wear and tear and in the interest of improving mobility by increasing the speed of trains. Sarens has been selected for this project thanks to successful experiences in previous renovation works on the railway line as well as the large fleet of cranes and transportation equipment available.
The installation of the 4 bridge decks carried out by Sarens was a complex heavy lifting challenge due to several relevant factors in the operating environment. The Sarens team carried out a preliminary survey of the work area and the lifting operations, where the best location for the lifting of the decks was selected, taking into account the narrow distance between the catenary cables.
Erik Van der Elst, project manager at Sarens said “We are very proud of the work done on the installation of the decks for the bridge over the Barebeek, not only because of the benefits it will bring to the railway, but also because it was a complex project due to its location near the river and the spacing of the catenaries. This shows again the engineering capabilities of Sarens to tackle all kinds of projects in a multitude of conditions, always with an outstanding result”.
Sarens has extensive experience in carrying out large projects in Belgium, such as assisting with the heavy lifting of tanks at the Citrosuco plant in Ghent. Also, over the past few years, Sarens has established itself as a strategic player in bridge projects. Recently the company has completed the renovation works of the century-old Colbert bridge in Dieppe (France), and other several major projects, including the installation of the OA14 bridge, weighing 5,850 tons, in Bettembourg (Luxembourg). Sarens has installed a new pedestrian bridge between the Hazebrouck railway station (France) and its car park and an 8,400 ton railway bridge on the A1 motorway in Amsterdam (Netherlands).
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Sarens is the global leader and reference in crane rental, heavy lift and engineered transportation services. With state-of-the-art equipment, value engineering, one of the world's largest inventories of cranes, transporters and special rigging equipment, Sarens offers creative and intelligent solutions to today's heavy lifting and engineering transport challenges.
With more than 100 entities in 65 countries operating without borders, Sarens is an ideal partner for small to large-scale projects. Sarens currently employs 5,000 highly qualified professionals who are ready to serve the needs of any client worldwide and in all market sectors. https://www.sarens.com/