Schares Utilizes Enerpac JS-250 for Railway Bridge Replacement

Autokrane Schares GmbH has deployed Enerpac’s JS-250 jack-up system to install two new 1,000-tonne railway bridges in Herten, located in Germany’s Ruhr Valley. The project involved replacing an aging steel bridge on the busy double-track route connecting Gelsenkirchen Buer-Nord station to the Blumenthal junction.

After dismantling the original structure and refurbishing the abutments, Schares used the Enerpac jack-up technology to lift and position the new concrete bridges—each measuring 42.3 m long and nearly 6 m wide. The bridges were supported by two header beams resting on JS-250 towers mounted on Cometto SPMTs, enabling both lifting and transportation in a single operation.

Once elevated to 3.8 m for transport, the bridges were moved into place before being raised synchronously to a total height of 7.8 m above the road surface for installation. Final alignment was completed using the SPMTs.

“The whole operation went very smoothly, so much so that we completed the bridge installation one day earlier than scheduled,” said Tim Schlattmann, Managing Director at Autokrane Schares GmbH. “The Enerpac JS-250’s speed and efficiency make it our preferred technology for final bridge installation.”

Enerpac’s JS-Series system enables highly coordinated, multi-point lifting with precise load control through synchronised hydraulic operation. Designed for heavy infrastructure and industrial projects, it ensures safe, stable, and efficient movement of major structures.