mid-April 2023
We were able to take part in a special visit to the modernisation work on the Gisclard bridge on the Yellow Train line.
On the programme this spring: replacement of 12 cables, stripping of asbestos-covered cables. Imagine the access constraints to reach the site and transport materials when the work had begun in the snow ! We came across fifteen or so workers (cable workers, rope access technicians, asbestos removers) fully harnessed up, ready to climb to heights of dozens of metres. Well done to the team.
Investigations were carried out with national engineers to draw up a maintenance plan for the coming years. A second phase of work in the autumn would involve replacing anchors, pylons and securing access
A second phase of work in the autumn would involve replacing anchors, pylons and securing access.
Cassagne bridge, Gisclard bridge
Located in the commune of Planès, the Gisclard bridge was built between 1905 and 1908 by the Ferdinand Arnodin company to a design conceived in 1896 by Albert Gisclard, Commander of the French Engineers. It’s the only railway suspension bridge still in service in France. Crossing the Têt river, the 253-metre-long structure has a 156-metre span and comprises two masonry piers, 32 and 28 metres high, each topped by a 30-metre-high metal pylon.
The French State, the Occitanie / Pyrénées-Méditerranée Region and SNCF Réseau are committed to major rail network modernisation projects as part of the Rail Plan. By 2023, all the work on the Yellow Train represents a total investment of €9.3 million, co-financed by the French government (25%), the Occitanie Region (66.5%) and SNCF Réseau (8.5%).
photos © PNRPC