The Golden Horn Metro Bridge is a swing bridge that can rotate horizontally to allow ships through. The bridge is at a height of 13 meters above sea level and has a length of 460 meters and five abutments. Including the viaducts on each side, the total length adds up to 936 meters.
The bridge is located in a historical district of Istanbul and connects the two sides of Golden Horn as part of the M2 Istanbul Subway line. The structure consists of concrete viaducts at each end, providing access to the tunnels with a metal suspension bridge between them. At the tunnel entrances, the subway line goes under the historic Genoese city walls, over the Ottoman bathhouse, and under the historic Ottoman building and houses.
One of the most challenging aspects of the project was to build the subway line without damaging the historical character or artefacts of the oldest district of Istanbul – the history of which goes back thousands of years.
On the concrete viaduct the rail fastenings are fixed via plinths with anchor bolts with the fastenings placed with a 65 cm gap between each other (on average). The Pandrol Vanguard rail fastening system was specified for the sensitive areas due to its noise and vibration suppression characteristics.
The curve on the surface of the steel bridge, which is necessary for drainage purposes, and the gaps between the fastenings and the steel surface, posed a significant challenge. This was eventually solved through use of steel platforms with adjustable height, which were specifically designed for this project.
The rubber wedges integrated in the Vanguard system, which keep the rail suspended above the bridge surface, provide great flexibility, adding to the electrical isolation and help to provide vibration and sound suppression. The project was extremely successful and noise and vibration from the bridge have been kept to acceptable levels.
Due to the historic fabric of the district, certain measures were adopted during the planning and execution of the project. The historic buildings and the Genoese Walls on the Şişhane-Yenikapı railway route were dismantled on site and carried to other locations. Wherever possible, protection of the historical structures on their original sites, and construction of the railway route underneath them, were also sought under guidance from the Monument Protection Board of the Republic of Turkey.
“The Pandrol Vanguard rail fastening system was specified for the sensitive areas due to its noise and vibration suppression characteristics.”
The Golden Horn Metro Bridge has been in use since its opening in February 2014. It has proven itself as an efficient contribution to the public transport solutions offered by the municipality, as well as an aesthetic added-value to the skyline of Haliç district.
