Railway bridge in Russia collapsed

On May 30, a railway bridge in northwestern Russia collapsed, without any casualties, due to a heavy flooding incident. The bridge, crossing over Kola River, is a critical railway link to the hub of Murmansk.

During the flood, one of the five supporting pillars failed, bringing down with it part of the deck of the railway bridge. The severe flooding incident occurred due to rapid melting of snow and the resulting strong river flows.

Due to the fact that the damaged bridge had undergone maintenance in 2014, the Murmansk Transport Prosecutor’s Office plans to ensure that there have not been any violations during the repair procedure or during the operational life of the bridge afterwards.

Since the accident, the passenger and cargo rail transport between the port and the rest of Russia has been interrupted and repair work is underway. Regarding the repair procedure, Andrey Chibis, the Murmansk region’s governor explained that the old pillars will be taken down and replaced with new ones.

The authorities estimate that Murmansk hub will be linked to the nationwide railway network later this month.