ProRail hires new contractors to tackle issues with High Speed Line
ProRail has taken a step toward repairing the viaducts on the high-speed rail line (HSL) between Schiphol and Rotterdam. Due to design flaws, trains are forced to run at reduced speed over several viaducts. The rail infrastructure manager has now commissioned three engineering firms to draw up plans for the repair of nine viaducts.
The firms in charge of this are Arup, Movers, and Arcadis. On Tuesday, they signed a framework agreement worth 25 million euros. ProRail says it chose the three specialized parties “because of the high urgency” of the problems with the HSL.
A Prorail spokesperson said that the definitive design regarding the nine viaducts is expected to be finished at the end of 2026. There is also more clarity now regarding the duration of the repairs.
However, it has now also become apparent that there is a 10th viaduct, by Rijpwetering, which has even bigger issues than the rest. There, high-speed trains will have to run below 300 kilometers per hour until at least 2031.
The repair of nine of the ten affected viaducts is estimated at between 250 and 400 million euros. For the Zuidweg viaduct near Rijpwetering alone, a special estimate has been given: between 70 and 80 million euros, according to the NRC.
The concrete damage along parts of the route has already been largely repaired. Repair work to address the structural defects cannot begin right away; at some locations, the planned start is no earlier than 2027.
The viaducts were built too lightly. The transverse fixations, the anchors that hold the horizontal parts between the sections, are not strong enough.
Cracks have been discovered in the welds of the steel joints. The rubber pads that support parts of the viaduct are deforming too much, which makes the structure shift sideways. On top of that, the ground has moved and sunk in some places. At the Zuidweg viaduct near Rijpwetering, the southern support has shifted several centimeters, putting extra strain on the foundation piles.
Reporting by ANP and NL Times
