Railway bridge in Machern closed: Important changes for bus passengers!

Railway bridge in Machern closed: Important changes for bus passengers!

The closure of the railway bridge in Machern is currently causing a stir in the Muldental. As the LVZ Reportedly, there will no longer be any buses traveling over the bridge as of now, as there are serious concerns about collapse. The reason for this is the concerns about the material, especially the Hennigsdorf prestressing steel, which is considered susceptible to stress corrosion cracking.

The bridge has a permissible load capacity of only 7.5 tons. This safety measure was decided at short notice by the Leipzig district in order not to endanger traffic. But this has a clear impact on traffic flows in the region, and school traffic is particularly affected.

Changes in bus transport

Bus routes 680, 682, 683 and 691 had to adjust their timetables. Of the changes from November 3rd, line 691 will be rerouted in both directions via Brandis to Gerichshain, so that the stop at Machern S-Bahn station will no longer be necessary. Instead, passengers can use the new stop on Bahnhofsstrasse. The “Wurzener Straße” and “Leipziger Straße” stops in Brandis will continue to be served.

Students who rely on routes 680, 682 and 683 should also expect changes. Line 682 will no longer stop at the “S-Bf./Bahnhofsstraße” stop for the first hour of school. Instead, she heads for “S-Bf./Alte Leipziger Straße”. A minibus is used on line 683, which travels from “Schlossblick” to the Brandis school center. However, it is said that the return journey of line 683 takes place after the 8th school period at 3:06 p.m. via Gerichshain, but the last departure at 4:06 p.m. is cancelled.

Bridges in the focus of safety

The current closure in Machern highlights the general safety of bridges in Germany. As the daily news As explained, bridges must be thoroughly inspected every six years. Anyone who keeps an eye on these inspections quickly notices that many buildings, especially those that are under municipal responsibility, are often no longer in the best condition. There are around 130,000 bridges in Germany, many of which urgently need to be renovated.

Corrosion, such as that blamed for the partial collapse of the Carola Bridge in Dresden, is a constant issue. Two years ago, the Federal Transport Minister announced a package of measures to modernize bridges more quickly, but similar problems also appear in makers. Concern about the safety of old bridges is not just a Cologne concern, but a nationwide concern.

We will continue to monitor developments regarding the bridge in Machern and will inform you when there is news. Until then, we can only hope that everyone affected is well informed and that the necessary changes go smoothly.