Due to errors in the construction of a bridge in the south of the Netherlands, high-speed trains will not be able to travel there in the coming years at a maximum speed of 300 kilometers per hour. Trains probably won’t be allowed to go faster than 80 kilometers per hour on this stretch until 2025. The decision comes from ProRail, which actually discovered construction errors at the Zuidweg Viaduct near the village of Rijpwetering last year.

according to ProRail Cracks appeared in the weld. An incorrect calculation was made during construction and the base of the bridge also started to move. The track has moved horizontally by 8 centimeters since the construction of the high-speed rail line in 2009. West broadcast.

It should be checked whether the piles in the ground can withstand the force on the bridge when the train passes over it at high speed. This must be discovered through simulation software. Because we can’t look at the ground, said the railway manager. The speed is expected to rise to 160 kilometers per hour later this year.

In addition to this bridge, there are many more bridges built in the same way. This is also under investigation. The maximum speed of these nine bridges is now 160 kilometers per hour.