Eisenbahnbrücke am Rheinfall, Railway bridge near Rhine Falls, Switzerland
The Eisenbahnbrücke am Rheinfall is a stone arch bridge with nine arches that crosses the Rhine River upstream from the waterfall and connects Laufen-Uhwiesen to Neuhausen. It carries a single railway track and features narrow pedestrian paths on both sides alongside the rail line.
The bridge was built between 1855 and 1856 under engineer Carl Ruland's supervision and initially served only rail traffic. Pedestrian walkways were added decades later during extensive renovations in the late 1950s.
The structure forms part of the Rheinfall Railway line, which links the industrial centers of Winterthur and Schaffhausen through the northern Swiss landscape.
Access to the pedestrian paths is free and available year-round, though the narrow walkways require careful footing and sturdy shoes are recommended. The best views of the waterfall come from the bridge's center, where the river and falls are most visible.
The bridge's nine arches span varying widths between 12 and 18 meters to adapt to the irregular riverbed formations beneath the waterfall. This flexible approach allowed engineers to overcome the challenging terrain during construction.
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