WATCH | Mammoet completes second bridge replacement at Amsterdam Centraal

Mammoet, the global heavy lift and transport specialist headquartered in Schiedam, Netherlands, completed the second of five bridge replacements at Amsterdam Centraal Station, part of ProRail’s High-Frequency Rail Transport programme aimed at increasing train capacity at the station.

Working alongside Dutch construction company Dura Vermeer, Mammoet managed load-out, transport and installation of three steel deck sections manufactured by Hollandia Infra. The bridge comprised two 28.5 metre, 275 tonne sections and a 21 metre, 175 tonne centre section.

A steel deck section is transported beneath the existing bridge structure on a flat-top barge at Amsterdam Centraal Station. Photo: Mammoet

To minimise disruption at the station, sections were delivered by flat top barge via water rather than road. Each barge was partially submerged to pass beneath a low footbridge before being manoeuvred into position.

Second bridge replacement in two years

Unlike the first bridge replacement in 2025, which used Mammoet’s Mega Jack 300 system, the second installation required a different method due to reduced manoeuvring space between the old and new bridge structures.

“We had to consider the decks and columns of the old bridges, as well as those of the new bridge we installed last year,” said Leo de Vette, project manager at Mammoet. “For this reason, we had to first manoeuvre and rotate the new sections underneath these bridges and then jack them up using a four-point lifting system.”

Mammoet crew members work from a barge during bridge section installation at Amsterdam Centraal Station. Photo: Mammoet

Sections were rotated 90 degrees using Mammoet self propelled modular transporter (SPMT) before being raised using a four-point hydraulic lifting system assembled on the quayside.

The centre section required additional sequencing. It was floated into position at right angles to the final installation direction, then rotated 90 degrees using SPMT; the same method used to manoeuvre the outer sections. It was temporarily supported on consoles atop the two outer sections while the central bridge column was constructed beneath it, before Mammoet lowered the section into its final position.

Each bridge section took approximately one week to install.

Dura Vermeer said it expects to replace one bridge a year, with the wider Amsterdam Centraal renovation programme expected to run until around 2030.

A bridge deck section is moved into position on SPMT beneath the existing bridge structure at Amsterdam Centraal Station. Photo: Mammoet

Mammoet crew members work from a barge during bridge installation at Amsterdam Centraal Station. Photo: Mammoet

The newly installed bridge section at Amsterdam Centraal Station, with the historic station building and rail platforms in the background. Photo: Mammoet

An aerial view of Amsterdam Centraal Station showing the new bridge section in place alongside ongoing construction work. Photo: Mammoet