King Edward VII Bridge
The King Edward VII Bridge is a railway bridge spanning the River Tyne between Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead, in North East England. It is a Grade II listed structure. The King Edward VII bridge has been described as “Britain’s last great railway bridge”.
King Edward VII Bridge | |
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King Edward VII Bridge, in 2015 | |
| Coordinates | 54.9632°N 1.6162°W |
| OS grid reference | NZ246632 |
| Carries | East Coast Main Line |
| Crosses | River Tyne |
| Locale | Tyneside |
| Owner | Network Rail |
| Maintained by | Network Rail |
| Heritage status | Grade II listed |
| Network Rail Bridge ID | ECM5-259 |
| Preceded by | Redheugh Bridge |
| Followed by | Queen Elizabeth II Bridge |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Truss bridge |
| Material | Steel |
| Pier construction |
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| Total length | 350.8 m (1,151 ft) |
| Width | 15.3 m (50 ft) |
| No. of spans | 4 |
| Rail characteristics | |
| No. of tracks | 4 |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) |
| Electrified | 25 kV 50 Hz AC |
| History | |
| Designer | Charles A. Harrison |
| Engineering design by | Charles A. Harrison |
| Constructed by | Cleveland Bridge & Engineering Company |
| Construction start | 29 July 1902 |
| Opened | 1 October 1906 |
| Inaugurated |
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| Location | |
Railways between Newcastle and Gateshead | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The bridge was designed and engineered by Charles A. Harrison, the Chief Civil Engineer of the North Eastern Railway, and built by the Cleveland Bridge & Engineering Company in Darlington. The bridge consists of four lattice steel spans resting on concrete piers. The total length of the bridge is 1,150 ft (350 m) and 112 ft (34 m) above high water mark. The total cost was over £500,000.
The bridge was opened by King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra on 10 July 1906, despite being still unfinished at this time. General traffic began using the bridge on 1 October 1906. Prior to its completion, to reach Newcastle railway station, trains used the older High Level Bridge and had to leave the station in the same direction they entered by reversing. The construction of the King Edward VII Bridge provided four more railway tracks and a direct line through the station, enabling trains to arrive or depart from either side, greatly easing congestion.