Between 2014 and 2016, the Chile’s state-owned railway company implemented a Bridges Master Plan to increase the load being transported by freight trains and put 4 different batches out to tender. The batch corresponding to the Center-North area encompassed the analysis of 71 bridges.
Out of the total analyzed bridges, 75% had been built at the end of the 19th century or at the beginning of the 20th. Most of them are steel bridges of a different typology, spanning between 6m and 80m.
The project consisted in the verification of the state of conservation of all bridges and the drafting of a repair, strengthening or replacement project. The aim was to ensure that bridges could withstand actual trains that would run along the different lines and the C+ train, heavier in design.
In order to gain an insight into the structures’ state, a detailed inspection was conducted on site. This inspection enabled to identify deteriorations and severity level and to conduct a geometric survey on all bridges. This was necessary, as there weren’t original designs for many of these bridges.
