Küstrin-Kietz Rail Crossing – ADC

Knight Architects’ recently completed Küstrin-Kietz Rail Crossing on the German/Polish border is the world’s first railway bridge to use carbon fibre as a loadbearing material.

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Wilfried Dechau

Designed by Knight Architects, in collaboration with civil engineer Schüßler-Plan and structural engineer sbp, the Küstrin-Kietz Rail Crossing on the Oder River revives the once famous Berlin-Königsberg-Eydtkuhnen rail line, breathing new life into an important pre-Cold War trade corridor. The project comprises two slender bridge structures. The main 266-metre-long crossing replaces a derelict, pre-WW2 single-track-truss across the River Oder with a distinctive 130-metre network arch. With its crown positioned high above the border demarcation line, the steel structure acts as a landmark, highlighting the importance of the location and welcoming travellers between the two countries.

Less dramatic, but equally important, the 176-metre Odervorflut bridge crosses a flood relief canal 500 metres west of the main crossing and is designed with similar architectural features to the main bridge, ensuring the two structures are visually unified.

Instead of using conventional flat bar steel hangers, the network arch of the main crossing employs 50mm diameter carbon cables, making the structure the world’s first and so far only rail bridge to use this high-performance material for significant loadbearing elements. The carbon cables have significantly reduced the overall weight of the structure and the amount of steel and concrete used in the deck. They also give the bridge a striking filigree quality.

“Our concept provided a simple, clear and elegant design solution that distilled the complexity of a large railway development project to a single object with powerful, symbolic meaning, and we welcome the tenacity with which the client and engineers retained the original design intent,” said project architect and director at Knight Architects Bart Halaczek. “The use of carbon fibres in the loadbearing structure is a world first and demonstrates how great design and innovation can go hand-in-hand to deliver beautiful structures that connect people and enrich communities.”

The completed crossing will help to increase line capacity and shorten travel times by allowing a maximum permissible speed of 75mph, as well as revive rail travel both regionally and internationally. In the long term, this will help reduce road traffic and contribute to the mobility shift towards more sustainable means of transportation.

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