Railway bridge collapses in Ringepu – NRK Inland – Local News, TV and Radio

Shortly after 11am on Monday, residents of Ringepu heard the accident.

It was the sound of the Randclave railway bridge collapsing.

– A damaged pier fell last week and parts of the bridge resting on the pier fell into the river, says Siegbjorn Korsgaard, track manager at Ban Nor.

A decline in use means Tovrepanen will be closed for a long time.

A crash was heard

Farmer Lars Skjeggestad Kleven was surveying the flood damage on his farm in Ringebu on Monday morning. Suddenly he heard a crash.

– It sounded like a truck tipping over rocks, but that didn’t last long. Then I thought, “Yes, this is the bridge.”

The farmer went to the railway bridge and confirmed what he was afraid of. The bridge collapsed.

– It tells about how big and cruel this flood is, when a bridge that stood there for a long time collapses, says Skjeggestad Kleven.

A security zone has been set up

The bridge was damaged by high water in Lajan last week as a result of extreme weather called “hans”.

One of the members of the bridge had shifted and bent. That is where the bridge is now broken.

– A damaged pier fell last week and parts of the bridge resting on the pier fell into the river, says Siegbjorn Korsgaard, track manager at Ban Nor.

A 100 meter security zone has been set up around the bridge as the bridge is under tension.

– Now we have to orient ourselves and take safety measures, so we are confident that things will stabilize. Then we have to figure out a plan to remove the bridge components from the river and see what we can reuse, says track manager Korsgaard.

will be closed for a long time

All freight and passenger traffic on Dovrebanen usually goes over the railway bridge, which has now been destroyed.

Now how the bridge will be reconstructed needs to be planned. This means Tovrepanen will be closed for a long time.

– Unfortunately, it will be too long to say anything more about it now. But it is clear that there is extensive damage to critical infrastructure, says Siegbjorn Korsgaard.

Last week, train services were halted due to damage to the bridge.

Passenger transport on Dovrebanen is now by bus instead of train between Lillehammer and Trondheim. An additional departure will also be set up on the Roros line.

For now, some freight traffic can go on Rørosbanen. But the Roros line is not as good for freight as the Dovre line.

Affecting many passengers

SJ Norge operates all passenger trains between Oslo and Trondheim in Tovrebanen.

SJ Norge Hilde Lyng’s information manager said the bridge collapse was serious.

– This affects many passengers between the capital and Trondheim. He says it’s very difficult for people and goods to move north of Lillehammer.

On Wednesday, Transport Minister Jan-Iver Nygaard will visit Ringebu. Ling hopes to bring good news with him.

– The bridge will be given priority and we hope it will come soon. And we hope to get support to evacuate passengers and goods until the bridge is built.

The information manager also says that people should be prepared to take longer than normal to get from A to B.

– Sadness

According to NVE, the water flow at Lågen in Innlandet was seven times higher than normal before the weekend.

NVE was confident that the railway bridge would be stable when the water began to recede.

But the bridge has already suffered major damage and is now submerged further in the middle.

– I think it’s very sad. It was a truss bridge and was well maintained. It was built to last for many more years, says Sigbjorn Korsgaard at Bain Nor.

The railway bridge is a 172.5 meter long steel bridge built in 1957.

And rain will come

More rain has been reported now and some places will experience heavy rain tomorrow.

– It demands. There is still a lot of water flow in Lågen, and the landscape is full of water, so it’s a demanding situation, says Korsgaard.

The railway manager at Ban Nor says that many bridges will now be inspected after the floods, but many bridges have not been damaged.