The ideal jack-up platform for repair work on (railway) bridges

Repair work is being carried out on the railway swing bridge in Gouda, and the brand-new Boyne jack-up platform is being used to keep this work on track.

Carrying out repair work on the bridge

Before the pontoon sailed in from Sliedrecht, it was assembled there and loaded with the necessary material container and loose material. After departing from Sliedrecht, the modular pontoon was placed between the Hooge Gouwe lift bridge and the railway swing bridge, from where it was positioned under the railway swing bridge.

The spud legs were lifted into the spud fountains of the jack-up using a telescopic crane. The jacking system could then be positioned, and lifted to the right height to start the repair work. To start the repair and painting of the railway swing bridge, the last materials were also loaded onto the jack-up.

After 12 days, the repair work on the bridge comes to an end, the modular pontoon was brought back down. This made it possible for the bridge to start lifting again for the necessary measurements. When everything was completely in order, the spud legs were taken out again and the Boyne was ready to return to Sliedrecht.

Jack-up platform for Prorail’s railway bridge executed by Qumey steel

In 2018, a container ship rammed the railway bridge on the Gouwekanaal canal, damaging the underside of the bridge. To repair this damage to the railway bridge, Prorail issued a tender. In the end, Qumey steel, a specialist in rail infrastructure, was awarded the contract. To manage the project, they worked out a carefully prepared project implementation. In this project execution, they worked on arranging the transport licence for the Gouwekanaal, the insurances, exemptions for the use of spud poles and arranging the blocking of the Gouwekanaal.

Boyne jack-up platform supplied by Baars

The Boyne jack-up platform was used to carry out the repair work on the railway bridge. Jack-up barge Boyne is a sister ship to the Nore, Suir and Finn, and is a modular jack-up. Its dimensions are 20.72 x 12.19 x 1.83m including 2 bow containers and 24-metre spud legs.

This type of jack-up has proven its service on several occasions in the past. For geotechnical work in coastal ports. And for quay work such as anchoring, this type of jacking system has been used several times. The project involving the repair work on the (railway) bridge showed that the jack-up is also extremely suitable for these applications. Working from the water on a jack-up ensures a safe and calm working environment!