The focus of the construction work was the replacement of the old star bridge. At the end of July, the shell of the new bridge was brought to its final location in a complex night-time operation. The structure, which weighs around 3,700 tons and is 108 meters long, was inserted into the connecting railway. The installation was considered particularly challenging due to the dimensions of the bridge, the tight construction site and the importance of the route.
However, the excavation alone was not enough. In the weeks that followed, employees of Deutsche Bahn and the construction companies involved worked around the clock to integrate the bridge into the existing rail network and restore the railway embankment. In total, around four kilometers of rails were laid, around 3,000 sleepers were installed and around 8,000 tonnes of ballast were used.
In addition, there was the installation or renewal of the overhead lines as well as work on the control and safety technology. Technical checks and acceptance tests were required before release. Only after this was completed could the route be reopened for regular train service.
Road space remains closed for the time being
The closure break was also used to concentrate further construction work in the area of the connecting railway. A total of three new bridges had to be installed, including the large star bridge. The aim was to carry out several interventions in the heavily loaded Hamburg railway network within a continuous period of time.
However, the originally planned schedule had to be adjusted. The railway extended the closure break by two weeks. The reason given was problems with the work on the overhead lines. During the construction phase, it also became apparent that significantly more soil had to be replaced on the railway embankment than initially expected. According to the railway, there were around 10,000 tons of additional soil.
Train services were nevertheless able to resume on the scheduled date of August 31st. The work in the area around the star bridge is not yet completely complete. The streets below the railway line remain closed for the time being. The important Stresemannstrasse is scheduled to be reopened to road traffic on September 7th. At Max-Brauer-Allee the closure will last even longer.
The new star bridge is significantly larger than its predecessor. The structure spans the street space without the previous supports and offers space for four tracks. However, its dimensions continue to cause criticism. Residents and initiatives had spoken out against the demolition of the historic bridge and the size of the new building for years. Even after installation, the massive construction continues to shape the debate about the project.
For the railway, however, the new building is an important part of the modernization of the Hamburg rail hub. “An efficient rail network needs efficient nodes,” explained Philipp Nagl, CEO of DB InfraGO. Hamburg is one of the most important transport hubs in Germany, and the connecting railway is part of a central north-south axis in the European rail network. Nagl described the fact that traffic was able to resume as planned as the result of a strong team effort.
The work on the Sternbrücke is also related to the construction of the new long-distance and regional train station at Diebsteich. The modernization of the connecting railway is intended to create the technical requirements for replacing the previous Hamburg-Altona station with the new station. From the railway's perspective, the measures are intended to increase the capacity and reliability of rail transport in the Hamburg node in the long term, which is then also important for the reliability of the so-called Germany clock with more trains and higher reliability.
For passengers, the release primarily means the end of large-scale diversions and replacement services. Long-distance, regional and S-Bahn trains can again take the direct route between Altona, Dammtor and the main station. While construction continues below the star bridge, regular rail operations have returned above.
