A clear plan, well-thought-out concepts, and reliable technology are key to turning a vision into reality when transporting bridges. Eric Reichmann, authorized officer at Schares, has relied on Cometto SPMTs for such projects for many years. The renewal of a 120-year-old railway bridge in Herten was once again completed successfully.
The Cometto fleet at Schares has been built up under the leadership of Eric Reichmann since 2021. "Even back then, he had the clear ambition to transport and install bridges with our self-propelled modular transporters in the future", says Joachim Kolb, Sales Manager at Cometto. "This vision quickly became reality: as of today, Schares has already transported more than 40 bridges to their destination using our SPMT technology." One of the most recent projects is the renewal of the double-track railway bridge in Herten, North Rhine-Westphalia – a central link in the east–west connection of the Ruhr region.
Cometto SPMTs as central helpers
To keep the closure period as short as possible, the bridge manufacturer Eiffage Infra-West GmbH preproduced the new structures close to their installation site. Several precast parts and bridge segments had to be moved, including two main elements weighing 1,000 tons each. "To realize the overall project, we transported the driving and lifting equipment to the construction site in 22 truckloads", explains Jan van der Linde, division manager at Schares.
On site, two 6-axle combinations in 4-file configuration for the retaining walls and one 14-axle combination in 6-file configuration for the bridge itself were assembled. In total, 66 axles and four Power Pack Units were used. Due to the narrow entrance between the bridge bearings, it was not possible to mount the Power Packs on the front of the large combination. "As a practical solution, we positioned them on the loading platform of the Cometto SPMTs", explains Jan van der Linde. Two Liebherr large cranes were also working on-site alongside the SPMTs.
Millimeter-precise positioning of 1,000 tons
Shortly before reaching the final position, a surveyor monitored the alignment and gave precise instructions for the exact placement point. "Once the bridge sits, it sits forever", says Jan van der Linde. "Thanks to the ability to finely adjust the motor power of the Cometto Power Packs via the potentiometer, highly precise driving maneuvers down to millimeter accuracy are easily achievable even with such heavy loads." Through close collaboration among all parties involved, this project was completed successfully and ahead of schedule. This ensured that rail traffic could resume on time.
On to the next challenge!
Publication: 01/2026