Turin-Genoa railway line was built around 1850, being a strategical connection for the country and requiring the construction of almost 180 bridges with different characteristics. Nowadays the line is used by heavier and faster trains than when it was conceived and built, meaning that bridges are currently required to satisfy a greater demand. The main challenge related with this design scenario was thus to find the most effective way to improve the structural performance of the old line to meet the new requirements of the modern railway network, without affecting the architectural quality and charme of historical bridges.
In more detail, SYSTRA SWS was appointed for the conception of the structural survey required to achieve a reliable definition of existing materials properties, for the implementation of the advanced NL analysis required to assess the structural performance of concrete and masonry bridges, and for the detailed design of the retrofitting measures required to reach the expected demand. For this last point, specific technical proposals were developed to face with the local boundary conditions, with the detected damage levels, and with the reliability of the identified structural system.