Eglisau railway bridge, Railway bridge in Eglisau, Switzerland
The Eglisau railway bridge carries a single track over the Rhine on a 457-metre structure. Its central span is a riveted steel truss 90 metres long and 9 metres high, supplied by the Gutehoffnungshütte. On the right bank, twelve masonry arches of Lägern limestone lead to the truss; on the left bank, where the viaduct curves, there are nine arches, each with a clear span of 15 metres.
The Swiss Northeastern Railway built this single-track bridge between 1895 and 1897 as an important connection across the Rhine. Since its completion, it has served train traffic continuously and was reinforced with a modern steel trough system in 1982.
The bridge stands as evidence of late 19th-century Swiss engineering and shows how the country solved the challenge of crossing major rivers at that time. Visitors see a sturdy iron structure that continues to carry trains daily.
The best view of the bridge can be found from the riverside promenade or from nearby walking paths along the Rhine. Since active trains run across it, visitors should maintain a safe distance and observe from above or from the bank paths.
An engineering assessment from 2013 confirmed that this 19th-century bridge remains structurally sound. Experts expect it to safely carry trains across the river for many more decades.
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