King Edward VII Bridge

King Edward VII Bridge
King Edward VII Bridge, in 2015
Coordinates	54°57′48″N 1°36′58″W / 54.9632°N 1.6162°W / 54.9632; -1.6162
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	Sandstone Granite
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 (1906-10-01)
Inaugurated	10 July 1906 by King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra
Location

v t e Railways between Newcastle and Gateshead
Legend
Tyne and Wear Metro to Monument East Coast Main Line to Morpeth Central Station Tyne Valley Line to Scotswood Newcastle King Edward VII Bridge High Level Bridge River Tyne QEII Metro Bridge Gateshead Tyne Valley Line to MetroCentre Gateshead Interchange East Coast Main Line to Durham Durham Coast Line to Heworth Tyne and Wear Metro to Gateshead Stadium

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.^[1] The King Edward VII bridge has been described as “Britain’s last great railway bridge”.^[2]

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.^[3]

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.^[4] 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.