Rendsburg's transporter bridge: After breakdowns - reopening in September?

Rendsburg's transporter bridge: After breakdowns - reopening in September?

The transporter bridge in Rendsburg has once again made it into the headlines. It has been lying idle for five months now after it unexpectedly stopped over the Kiel Canal at 5:45 a.m. on March 2nd during normal operation. The outage was caused by a momentary power outage, which in turn activated the safety brakes and brought the ferry to a standstill. There was also a passenger on board at the time who had to be pulled to shore in an emergency operation. As a result, the waterway was closed to shipping traffic for several hours, which did not benefit the entire region.

The Kieler Nachrichten report that the brake control system needs to be reprogrammed and that other components need to be replaced and repaired. Mayor Hans-Georg Volquardts described the failure as “a medium-sized catastrophe” and the repair measures are proving to be quite complicated. Brake calipers have to be replaced at a dizzying 40 meters above sea level, and the required components are a long time coming. Despite these unfortunate circumstances, there is a ray of hope: the transporter bridge is expected to be put back into operation in mid-September. However, an exact date has not yet been set.

A constant problem

The transporter bridge, which has struggled with numerous breakdowns since it went into service in spring 2022, only had a reliability of around 80 percent in the first year. In fact, the ferry was idle for 165 out of 225 days until mid-August 2023! While this situation is not exactly conducive to regular operations, the ferry is essential in the region. Around 530 people use the ferry every day, the number increases to around 800 per day during the summer months. It plays a crucial role for students on school days and attracts many tourists during holidays.

The background to the breakdowns is also the complicated technology of the transporter bridge, which is 14 meters long and 6 meters wide. It can carry four cars and up to 60 pedestrians at the same time and crosses the Kiel Canal in around 1.5 minutes. NDR makes it clear that the ferry is not only important for daily mobility, but also has historical significance. It was put into operation for the first time in December 1913 and has since been considered one of the few transporter bridges in Germany. Demolition is no longer possible due to the monument protection to which it has been subject since 1988. This means that the transporter bridge will probably remain in place until at least 2030.

A look into the past

Since its commissioning, the Rendsburg transporter bridge has covered an impressive distance, equivalent to over 550,000 kilometers, which is more than 14 times around the world. It bridges an important transport route by connecting canals, railways and roads. It is free to use, which certainly contributes to the fact that it transports around 1,000 people a day and around 143,445 cars a year, as can be found on Brückenbote.

The Rendsburg transporter bridge remains an exciting topic that is of great importance for both locals and tourists. It remains to be seen whether it can be put back into operation soon, but the hope is that the repairs will soon be completed and the ferry can rock again. It looks like the federal government will also support covering the repair costs, which is a big step in the right direction.