Blitz operation on the Médoc railway bridge

As part of the creation of Line D of the Bordeaux tramway, work was required on certain engineering structures. In particular, the Médoc railway bridge, which supports the Bordeaux ring railway line and dates from 1920, had to be completely replaced. In partnership with structural engineers, ETF worked on the construction of the new railway line for this bridge. This comprehensive and complex project required extensive preparation followed by highly precise construction work. First, a complete study of the route and track was carried out, and a methodology for assembly on the concrete deck was developed. As the bridge was built on a dedicated site next to its final location, the railway track had to be designed to fit perfectly into the future route. To meet this challenge, the ETF teams carried out extensive research and preparation work, adapting their methods. Begun in November 2018, these studies also served as the basis for the construction plans for the new Médoc rail bridge. A 71-hour blitz operation to remove the old deck and replace it with the new one took place over the Ascension weekend. Thanks to the work carried out beforehand, the connections were perfectly executed in terms of both quality and timing. To carry out this project, ETF called on its entire range of skills thanks to the collaboration of the ITE and RFN teams. Their complementary expertise ensured the smooth running and success of this extraordinary project !