The railway workers will replace the highest bridge in the South Moravian Region

Znojmo - The highest railway bridge in the South Moravian Region, which spans the Dyje River near Znojmo, is set for a major reconstruction. Workers will extend the two hundred-meter long and forty-nine-meter high bridge structure from its pillars at the turn of September and October. The work will last approximately six weeks, after which a new bridge will begin to be slid in, which will last until April next year, said construction manager Antonín Sněťák to ČTK today. The bridge repair is part of the modernization and electrification of the Znojmo - Šatov line, which will cost 1.2 billion Czech crowns.
    The bridge over the Dyje River valley on the southwestern edge of Znojmo will disappear no earlier than the end of September, but dozens of workers are already operating in its vicinity these days. “There’s a lot of work here. We primarily need to connect and strengthen the stone pillars of the bridge, which could otherwise collapse. In order for the structure to be extended, it is also necessary to remove the old embankments,” Sněťák said.
    The modernization of the Znojmo - Šatov line, which is part of the international route Znojmo - Retz - Vienna, began two months ago. Workers have removed the tracks from Znojmo to the border town of Šatov and prepared the foundations for the poles carrying the electric traction. Electrification will allow for a connection from Znojmo to Vienna with electric trains. Until now, people had to travel by motor train to Šatov and then transfer to an electric train heading to Austria.
    The long-planned closure will last more than a year. The actual installation of the bridge is expected by the Railway Infrastructure Administration in the middle of next year, while the modernization of the entire line is to be completed in November.
    The so-called Šatov Bridge was built at the end of the 1860s, and the first train crossed it on November 1, 1871. The original iron riveted structure, which was designated as a protected monument, was replaced by a temporary bridge structure in 1922. However, after that, motor trains could only travel at a maximum speed of 30 kilometers per hour. The new bridge will allow trains to travel at speeds of up to eighty kilometers per hour.