Zürich Cross-City Link

The Letzigraben (1,156 m) and Kohlendreieck bridges (394 m) are bridge structures constructed as part of the so-called Altstetten–Zürich HB–Oerlikon diameter line (DML). Together, they form the westbound exit from the new underground Löwenstrasse station.

Construction work began in 2008 with the “relocation” of track sections in the Zürich forecourt. From 2009, the first of a total of 23 piers were built. The piers, up to 16 meters high, are founded on bored piles up to 45 meters long. The superstructure was built using a launching gantry, which was installed in autumn 2011. A structural defect required the installation of a slab track from November 2013 onwards. This was necessary because six to eight prestressing cables had to be drawn across the roadway above each of the 23 piers and fixed on the outside with anchor heads. The prestressing cables lying on the bridge trough had to be concreted in, which eliminated the space required for a conventional ballast track. For this reason, a slab track using the LVT system was installed on a bridge in Switzerland for the first time.

SBB commissioned Rubi Bahntechnik for this project change under the mandate “Superstructure Management and Slab Track Specialist.” The main challenge was to find a technically feasible solution and obtain approval from the Swiss Federal Office of Transport (BAV). Additionally, Rubi Bahntechnik conducted the tendering of the works and closely supervised the construction as superstructure management. Despite the project change, the bridges were able to enter service by the end of 2016.