Oberried, located in the Swiss canton of St. Gallen, is on the Chur – Rorschach line.
In March 2023, the traction current division of the Rhomberg Sersa Rail Group in Switzerland completely renovated Oberried Station during a total closure of the line.
For the dismantling of two kilometres of catenary, three kilometres of feeder cables, eight spans, and around 30 masts, as well as one switching post, a 14 hour window was planned. All lines were dismantled with bi-directional vehicles of the Manitou type, and cables already on the ground were shredded. Then, steel structures and the switching post were dismantled with excavators and bi-directional trucks. The tight time window was adhered to precisely.
On March 2nd, the new overhead line material was delivered. The pre-assembly of the masts and the new switching post was completed on March 15th. 25 masts with outriggers, feeder cable consoles, and earth wire consoles were completely pre-assembled. Simultaneously, the laying rollers were assembled with pilot cables.
On March 16th, all overhead line masts and eight signals were flown by helicopter from the installation site to the foundations. This five hour journey was the most efficient route and working method for this stage of construction.
The new station was built in just 11 days, from March 20th to March 31st. The staff installed three kilometres of feeder cables, two kilometres of ground wire, two kilometres of overhead line, seven multitrack outriggers, and a new switching post with five switches.
After the new track was cleared on March 24th, all the supporting cables could be pulled, and the catenaries hoisted. This was followed by the assembly of the laying rollers for the overhead wire trains. To conclude this exciting project, a control ride was carried out before the overhead line and track could be cleared to the full satisfaction of the zb Zentralbahn.
