Rhine Bridge, Kehl

The first railway bridge at Kehl across the Rhine was opened in May 1861. Since then the bridge has been partially or fully destroyed more than once.The Kehl railway bridge constructed in 1956, was a single track railway bridge between Strasbourg and Kehl, crossing in the process both the Rhine and the frontier between Germany and France.A replacement double track railway bridge was first used on 10 October 2010 and formally opened in December 2010 in order to permit trains to cross the river more rapidly. The speed limit on the new bridge is 160 km/h (100 mph).The 1861 bridgeUnder the terms of an international convention dated 2 July 1857 between Baden and the French government it was agreed that a railway bridge should be constructed across the Rhine between Kehl and Strasbourg. This would be the first permanent bridge across the Upper Rhine.The structure would comprise a twin track bridge long, with a central truss section of. On each side of the bridge would be a turntable with of usable diameter.Work began in 1858, the Compagnie des chemins de fer de l'Est taking responsibility for the foundations. In order to sink the piles into the Rhine mud it was necessary to construct protective caissons extending below the river level.The steel superstructure was delivered and assembled by "Gebrüder Benckiser" (Benckiser Brothers), a Pforzheim company. The superstructure weighed approximately 1000 tons, and was assembled on the west (Strasbourg) bank of the river on a site long. The bridge became operational on 11 May 1861.