Albion Viaduct

About

The Albion Viaduct, officially the Maribyrnong River Viaduct, and also known locally as the Quarter Mile Bridge, is a trestle viaduct across the Maribyrnong River and Maribyrnong River Trail that carries the Albion–Jacana railway line, located in the inner western suburbs of Melbourne, in Victoria, Australia. It is located near the E J Whitten Bridge, and is almost 400 metres (1, 300 ft) long (hence the Quarter Mile name). Completed in 1929, the viaduct was added to the Victorian Heritage Register on 19 September 1996 in recognition of its scientific, architectural and historical importance. It was built in 1927–29 by the Victorian Railways Construction Branch to carry a new double track goods line over the Maribyrnong River. The new line enabled trains from all parts of the state, except Gippsland, to have direct access to the Tottenham marshalling and sorting yards, and relieved congestion at the Melbourne Yard. At the time of its opening, it was the largest trestle bridge in Australia. The viaduct is scientifically and architecturally important on account of its large size, and for the adoption of unusual cost effective design features such as the use of two girders per span to carry the double track, the use of K bracing in the towers, and the use of broad flange beams as columns. Until the completion of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the viaduct was also the highest railway bridge in Australia. It employed 200 people during its construction, with one fatality. In 2021, the Victorian Government unveiled plans for the route of the proposed Melbourne Airport Rail that included a new crossing of the river, via a 550-metre (1, 804 ft) elevated rail bridge, located adjacent to the Albion Viaduct. The government invited tenders in September 2021, and the contract was awarded to FCC Construction Australia and Winslow Infrastructure in October 2022 and work commenced shortly thereafter.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.