Tandem lift of steel bridge beams using 1000 tonne mobile cranes over M20 motorway at Folkestone for the Channel Tunnel Rail Lin
Pictured is the lift of steel beams for the Channel Tunnel Rail Link bridge over the M20 motorway in Folkestone, close to the entrance to the Eurotunnel UK Terminal. A beam bridge is a rigid horizontal structure resting on two piers, one at each end. The weight of the bridge and any traffic on it is directly supported by the piers. The weight is traveling directly downward. Many beam bridges that you find on highway overpasses use concrete or steel beams to handle the load. The size and height of the beam controls the distance that the beam can span. The £ billion Channel Tunnel Rail Link (now High Speed One) was built between 1998-2007 and partly funded by the European Union, it forms a section of the Trans European Rail Network. It is basically a French-style high-speed rail line linking London with the Channel Tunnel, the Eurostar trains were developed on proven technology from the French TGV high-speed system. Stations on the CTRL are the existing Ashford International and new stations at Ebbsfleet and Stratford. The line ends at the rebuilt St. Pancras. Fourteen new tunnels were constructed, the longest being the London Tunnel which is long from Ripple Lane to Stratford, after which the line briefly comes to the surface at Stratford Station. Five huge shafts of diameter ventilate the twin bore, single-track tunnels and provide emergency access and evacuation points. The line passes in tunnel under the River Thames and crosses the M25 at Thurrock. For the Thames crossing (a 3km twin-bore tunnel), the line drops 1 in 40 down under the river and then climbs 1 in 40 up, curving at the same time. The CTRL then negotiates the M25 motorway, going under the southbound and over the northbound carriageway. Lengthy loops at two places along the route allow trains to be overtaken so freight and faster domestic trains can be mixed with 300 kph Eurostar high-speed services.
Size: 3290px × 3290px
Location: Folkestone, Kent, UK
Photo credit: © qaphotos.com / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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