RUSSIA: A bridge on the trans-Siberian line has been replaced within two days of being destroyed by flooding.
The bridge between Kuenga and Ukurey collapsed on July 23. Trains had already been suspended after structural faults were identified, with local passengers being transported by bus between Shilka Pass and Chernyshevsk Zabaykalsk. Long-distance passengers were put on charter flights from Chita Kadala to Khabarovsk Novy, while freight trains were rerouted via the Baikal – Amur Magistral.
In the evening of July 23, President Putin announced that the bridge would be repaired for single-track traffic in 2 to 2½ days. Russian Railways deployed more than 350 workers and four infrastructure trains to speed up the installation of a replacement span. The first freight train was able to cross the rebuilt bridge at 14.00 on July 25, and the first passenger train at 17.54.
