Railway bridge for Beijing-Xiongan high-speed train rotated

A railway bridge weighing 8,900 metric tons and measuring 78 meters long was rotated to its targeted position on Tuesday in Xiongxian, Xiongan New Area in North China's Hebei province, marking a big step in the construction of the Beijing-Xiongan intercity railway.

Aerial photo taken on Aug 27, 2019 shows a swivel railway bridge of Beijing-Xiongan intercity high-speed railway after being rotated to its targeted position across the Tianjin-Baoding high-speed railway in Xiongan New Area, North China's Hebei province. [Photo/Xinhua]

The bridge, bearing the intercity railway, swiveled around an angle of 62.32 degrees in 73 minutes above the Tianjin-Baoding Railway, starting at seven seconds after midnight to avoid interference with railway traffic running below, Beijing Daily reported.

This is the first bridge that finished swiveling along the Beijing-Xiongan intercity railway, which is of great significance for the railway's construction, according to Li Zheng, deputy director for construction of the Beijing-Xiongan intercity railway.

A spherical hinge is major equipment used to turn the bridge, which works as the "axis" supporting the rotating body. China has adopted the swivel construction method in building many bridges. The method helps overcome the constraints of environment and traffic, while shortening the construction period, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The Beijing-Xiongan intercity railway under construction is about 92 kilometers long with 5 stations. After being put into operation next year, the railway will connect Xiongan and the capital in 30 minutes.