No trains crossing Nijmegen bridge due to safety concerns

No trains will run over the railway bridge at Nijmegen all day on Wednesday, NS reported Tuesday evening. Earlier Tuesday, the rail company halted train traffic across the bridge “for safety reasons.”

ProRail discovered a defect in the track on the bridge during an inspection on Tuesday. There was nothing wrong with the bridge itself. The railway manager is currently conducting an on-site investigation to determine what needs to be done and how long the bridge will remain closed to train traffic. The railway manager also needs Wednesday to map this out.

Experts and contractors are urgently working on a recovery plan. “The repair is exceptional because it concerns a rail defect on the bridge.” The railway manager hopes to be able to provide clarity about the repairs and how long it will take on Wednesday. “We find the inconvenience for the traveler and carrier very annoying.”

ProRail recently worked on the track on the bridge. The investigation must determine whether the work caused the defect. Trains were only allowed to cross the bridge at very low speed on Tuesday morning. After the inspection on Tuesday afternoon, ProRail decided it was no longer possible to run trains on the broken track at all.

Travelers who want to go to Nijmegen from Utrecht will have to detour via Den Bosch. That means an extra 15 minutes of travel time. Travelers between Nijmegen and Arnhem can travel via Nijmegen Lent. Buses will run between that station and Nijmegen.