The Friesenbrücke Railway Bridge near Weener (East Frisia, Germany)

Europe’s largest lift-swing-bridge In December 2015, the historic railway bridge over the Ems River near Weener was destroyed by a ship collision. The movable bridge part of the Friesenbrücke, a rolling bascule bridge (Scherzer bridge) was so severely damaged that it could not be repaired. After an intensive political discourse, it was decided to rebuild the bridge.
Delivery scope: single-track steel truss bridges (steel truss bridges and a lift-swing bridge)
Steel Weight: 3.350 t
Client: DB InfraGO
Construction time: 2022-2025
Location: Papenburg, Germany
Bridge length: 337 m

The so-called “Wunderline” is a 173 km long railway line between Bremen and Groningen, connecting northern Germany and the northern Netherlands. A key component of this connection is the Friesenbrücke, which is also highly significant for residents and shipping traffic.

Together with its consortium partners Adam Hörnig and Depenbrock, MCE was commissioned with the construction of the new Friesenbrücke, which consists of three structural sections with a total length of 337 m. The superstructures are to be built as steel truss bridges. The three sections include a single-span steel truss bridge (L=69.80 m), a lift-swing bridge (145.90 m), and a two-span steel truss bridge (55.50 m + 62.60 m). MCE’s scope of work includes not only conventional steel construction but also mechanical engineering and control technology.