A major bridge replacement has been successfully completed at Amsterdam Centraal station. This is the second in a series of five major bridge upgrades – the first took place in 2025.
The work forms part of the High-Frequency Rail Transport (PHS) Program led by ProRail, which covers track optimizations, infrastructure adjustments and civil work inside the station building, aimed at enabling more trains to run to and from the station in the future.
Working alongside construction company Dura Vermeer, Mammoet managed the load-out, transportation, and installation of three steel deck sections, manufactured by Hollandia Infra, that make up the second bridge – two components of 28.5 meters and 275 tonnes, and a middle section of 21 meters and 175 tonnes.
As the station is in a busy capital city, getting the new bridges to site was a complex engineering and logistical challenge. Mammoet’s solution was to transport the sections on water, rather than by road, to minimize disruption and allow the station to remain open while the work was being carried out.
Each bridge section was delivered to the Oostertoegang side of the station on a flat-top barge. There, the barge was partially submerged so that it could pass underneath a low footbridge.
Once in position, the sections were rotated 90 degrees, using Mammoet Self-Propelled Modular Transporters (SPMTs), before being jacked up using specialist lifting equipment.
While the first bridge replacement utilized Mammoet’s Mega Jack 300 system for the final jacking operation of the central section, a different method had to be used for the second bridge as sspace was more restricted.
Mammoet project manager Leo de Vette said: “Previously, we used our Mega Jack 300 system and SPMTs to lift and rotate all deck sections on the deck of the barge and then drive them off and into position.
“This time, however, we are working between two bridges, so we had to consider the decks and columns of the old bridges, as well as those of the new bridge we installed last year.
“For this reason, we had to first manoeuvre and rotate the new sections underneath these bridges and then jack them up using a four-point lifting system, which was assembled on the quayside.”
This four-point lifting system is essentially four large hydraulic cylinders that can all extend at the same speed. Sitting inside tracks, they can be moved into different positions for precise movement and lifting.
To allow the final central section to be installed, the pile on which it would rest was built after the span was roughly positioned. First, the final section was floated into position at right angles to the installation direction. Next, it was rotated 90 degrees and then lifted.
The central section was then set down on consoles on the other two already-installed bridge sections, taking its weight. The central bridge column was then built, following which Mammoet returned to lower the centre section onto it.
Each bridge section took approximately one week to install.
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