Moment 110-year-old bridge is accidentally blown up in awkward fiasco

An historic bridge in a scenic part of Switzerland has been blown to pieces after a bureaucratic mix-up.

The 110-year-old viaduct, near Davos in the Swiss Alps, was blasted following a misunderstanding between transport officials.

Cutting through majestic mountains and Alpine forests, the Castielertobel Viaduct was built in 1913 to help trains navigate the difficult terrain of the Canton of Graubünden.

It towered at 174ft above the wild gorge for more than a century – until it met an explosive end at the hands of trigger-happy demolition workers this spring.

The 377 ft long viaduct was blown up following a misunderstanding between transport officials (Picture: RhB/Newsflash)

The mountainous region is believed to be environmentally sensitive (Picture: RhB/Newsflash)

How did this happen?

The ageing railway bridge was not without problems.

In 2019, its owner – the Swiss transport company Rhaetian Railway (RhB) – discovered serious damage to the steel structure during a routine inspection.

They decided to go ahead with demolition, and the bridge’s two 164ft stone pillars were blown up in May.

But it has now emerged the demolition was illegal.

The owner had allegedly applied for a permit for a conventional demolition, rather than using explosives, after the government and a green study informed it that destroying it with dynamite was not allowed.

The viaduct is vital for trains running between two municipalities (Picture: RhB/Newsflash)

The Swiss Federal Office of Transport (BAV) said it should have authorised the demolition.

Michael Mueller, a spokesperson for the federal agency, said: ‘The RhB expressly ruled out blasting for the dismantling of the Castieler viaduct.

‘The fact that blasting was carried out now, despite this, contradicts this approval and is therefore illegal.’

Police have launched a probe to find out how the mix-up happened.

The canton’s public prosecutor is carrying out a preliminary investigation to determine whether criminal offences were committed.

However, the canton is thought to have announced there was nothing against the demolition at a local level.

But Mueller said this was not enough: ‘Construction and dismantling of railway facilities must be approved by the BAV as part of a so-called planning approval procedure.

‘The sole statement of a cantonal authority is not enough.’

Caption: The moment a huge bridge is ‘illegally’ blown up Picture: RhB/Newsflash

The train company said it ‘forgot’ to consult with the federal office.

After a construction company recommended the demolition for safety reasons and it had examined the environmental impact with other authorities and experts, the railway firm decided to press ahead.

They admitted they should have consulted the Federal Office of Transport again because the original application was made for destruction without dynamite.

Christina Florin, head of infrastructure at the RhB, said: ‘We simply forgot about this.

‘We assumed that this was OK because all the authorities concerned had agreed. The federal government also relies on these authorities.

‘We have to learn from such mistakes and make a change in the future.’

The Rhaetian Railway has now commissioned an independent environmental expert who, together with the Office for Nature and the Environment, will examine how environmentally friendly the demolition of the Castieler viaduct was.

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