Dresden's White Fleet resumes operations after forced break

With the water level steadily falling and following cleaning work and the reinstallation of services, Dresden's White Fleet is sailing again after a forced break of almost two weeks. Five ships of the historic paddle steamer fleet will be touring above the partially collapsed Carola Bridge in the city area and from Pirna in Saxon Switzerland from Friday according to a new timetable, said a spokesman for Weiße Flotte Sachsen GmbH.

Four more steamboats and the two modern saloon boats will follow down the Elbe along the Wine Route once the water level at the Dresden gauge has dropped to below 2.20 meters - it is currently still 2.93 meters there.

Before the restart, the moorings have been cleaned since Monday, the technology secured before the flood has been reinstalled and the ticket and kitchen buildings have been set up. According to the company, mud had to be removed, the steamers cleaned and the electronic display boards reinstalled.

Company focuses on fall and winter business

Weisse Flotte Sachsen GmbH is hoping for a "particularly successful fall and winter business", said Managing Director Astrid Rockel. The company is planning more boat trips than originally in November. Despite the partially destroyed and impassable Carola Bridge, almost all of the usual trips could be offered. Nevertheless, a loss of revenue and additional costs are expected. This is because passengers who book the trips upstream will be taken by shuttle bus to the ships at the Albert Bridge.

Carola Bridge collapse blocks shipping traffic

One of the three lines of traffic on the Carola Bridge collapsed on the night of September 11 for reasons that are still unknown. Since then, the White Fleet's scheduled services have been suspended, but the historic steamers continued to operate with restrictions for a few days - until the flooding.

In a race against time, the fire department and the Federal Agency for Technical Relief removed debris from the destroyed bridge section with the support of the German Armed Forces and special technology - and preparations are currently underway for the further demolition of the remains of section C.