On Friday November 17th, members of Rescue Co. 2 and Car 2 (Shift Commander) conducted pre incident planning training for unique confined space and rope rescue scenarios with Metro North personnel at the Walk Railroad Bridge replacement project over the Norwalk River. The $1 Billion project to replace the current 127 year old bridge with a new structure is expected to be completed in 2029.

The WALK Bridge is a four-track railroad crossing over the Norwalk River, connecting South Norwalk and East Norwalk. Built in the 1890s, the WALK Bridge is one of the oldest movable bridges in the region. The existing swing bridge is part of Metro-North Railroad's (MNR) New Haven Line and a critical link in the busiest rail corridor in the nation, the Northeast Corridor (NEC), connecting Boston, New York, and Washington D.C.

The bridge allows MNR, Amtrak and freight trains to travel over the Norwalk River. Pre-pandemic, approximately 125,000 passengers and 175 trains travel over the WALK Bridge daily.

Although confined space and rope rescue incidents on the Walk Bridge are considered low frequency, high risk. Your Norwalk Professional Firefighters are constantly training to achieve a safe and successful outcome should an incident occur at this project.