This headline could be read in Norwegian newspapers on 30 March 2025. A 21-year-old man leaned against the glass railing on the bridge spanning the railway tracks in central Stavanger. The tempered glass gave way, and the man fell freely 8–10 meters (!) onto the railway tracks below. The time was 03:45 on Sunday morning, and fortunately no trains were operating at that time. The man miraculously survived.
As a result of the accident, an extensive planning process was initiated to replace the 150-meter-long glass railing, which for around 30 years had protected passers-by from falls and live overhead contact lines. SWECO was assigned the design responsibility and developed, during spring 2025, a proposal for a safe and transparent solution. In cooperation with HMG iNFRA, a 12 mm specially coated Hammerglass polycarbonate system was selected. The existing mounting system in slim posts with four glass clamps per panel was retained, but all fixing components were replaced with new stainless-steel solutions. The moss-covered wall coping was to be cleaned, and the top edge fitted with a 3 mm thick, grey-lacquered aluminium sheet.
