Carries Rail, 2 tracks Locale Sunderland, England Opened 1879 Longest span 91 m Body of water River Wear | Crosses River Wear Heritage status Grade II listed Clearance below 26 m Location Sunderland | |
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Design Vierendeel truss bowstring arch Bridge type Tied-arch bridge, Box girder bridge Similar Elephant Tea Rooms, Corder House and Sydenha, Wearmouth Bridge, St Mary's Church - Sunderland, Queen Alexandra Bridge | ||
The Monkwearmouth railway bridge (also Sunderland railway bridge or Wearmouth railway bridge) is a rail bridge built 1879 crossing the River Wear at Sunderland and Monkwearmouth. The bridge lies adjacent to and upstream of the Wearmouth road bridge.
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Originally built as part of the Monwearmouth Junction Line, it provided the first direct railway link between Newcastle and Sunderland. As of 2012, the bridge remains in use and is used by Tyne and Wear Metro and Durham Coast Line services.
History and design
The bridge was built as part of the infrastructure for the Monwearmouth Junction Line, opened 1879; a connecting line across the wear built to connect the line of the former Brandling Junction Railway at Monkwearmouth to the south bank at Sunderland and the line of the former Durham and Sunderland Railway.
The bridge was designed by T.E. Harrison: it consisted of a 300 ft (91 m) main span, an iron bowstring bridge, constructed from box girders connected by a Vierendeel truss with curved corner strengthening to create elliptical voids in the bracing. The iron bridge was supported 86 ft (26 m) above high water level on the Wear. At either end of the bridge were three 25 ft (7.6 m) span masonry arches. Hawks Crawshay and Sons built the ironwork, John Waddell was contractor for the stonework. At the time of its construction it was claimed to be the largest hogsback iron bridge in the world.
The structure was grade II listed in 1978, planning consent was required for alterations to the structure circa 2000 for works relating to Metro construction: for the installation of overhead line electrification; and for the construction of a station (St Peter's Metro station), constructed on the northern approach viaduct of the bridge. In 2007 the bridge underwent repairs and strengthening, including the installation of 45 new transverse beams.
Use
The bridge and railway allowed trains to run directly from Newcastle to Hartlepool, by creating a through line from Newcastle to Sunderland.
Since 2002, the bridge has also carried the Tyne and Wear Metro. It is part of the modern (2012) Durham Coast Line.