A good four months after the collapse of part of Dresden's Carola Bridge, ships from the White Fleet have once again passed underneath it on the Elbe - just under a week ahead of schedule. The saloon ship "Augustus the Strong" made the start, passing the rest of the Elbe crossing on its way upstream to the shipyard without any problems. This was followed by two historic paddle steamers upstream and two downstream, also with just the crew.
"We received the permit today," said a spokesperson for Weiße Flotte GmbH. The company submitted an application ahead of schedule. From next Monday until February 18, the passage of the partially destroyed structure will then be possible on a regular basis - only for commercial shipping, under control of the bridge condition, only in one direction and individually, without passengers and after prior registration. "But for us, every day at the shipyard is a win."
On the night of 11 September 2024, the western traffic line of the Carola Bridge collapsed unexpectedly over a length of around 100 meters. Since then, the two remaining trains on the reinforced concrete structure from the GDR era have been closed and shipping has also been interrupted. The White Fleet operated downstream and upstream from the closed section with limited capacity, while inland shipping was suspended. Demolition of the debris has been underway for weeks.
