Estonian Railways to build new railroad bridge spanning Emajõgi River
Estonian Railways (EVR) wants to begin construction of a new railroad bridge spanning the Emajõgi River in the village of Vorbuse just outside of Tartu later this year.
In order to enable Elron passenger trains to cross the bridge at a speed of 135 kilometers per hour, it is necessary to straighten out the curve of the crossing of the Emajõgi River and replace the current Jänese Bridge, which is over 60 years old, with a new one, Riho Vjatkin, head of EVR's construction services, told regional paper Tartu Postimees (link in Estonian).
According to initial plans, however, the current Jänese Bridge won't be going anywhere either; if EVR and Tartu city government can reach an agreement, it will be converted to a pedestrian bridge.
According to the results of a study commissioned by EVR three years ago, the current railroad bridge is in fairly bad shape, and due to the geometry of the tracks, trains cannot achieve desired speeds, calling for the need to straighten out the tracks on a 2.2-kilometer stretch.
EVR is currently drawing up a public procurement for builders of the planned new bridge and tracks, which are to be completed by the end of 2021 and the cost of which will depend on the results of the procurement.
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Editor: Aili Vahtla
