Sankey Viaduct

Sankey Viaduct
The Sankey Viaduct in 2016 with the overhead line equipment for electric trains visible
Coordinates	53°26′51″N 2°39′03″W / 53.44745°N 2.65076°W / 53.44745; -2.65076 (Sankey Viaduct)
OS grid reference	SJ5682394761
Carries	Liverpool and Manchester Railway
Crosses	Sankey Brook (historic route of the Sankey Canal)
Other name(s)	The Nine Arches
Heritage status	Grade I
ID number	1075927
Characteristics
Material	Yellow sandstone and red brick
Total length	600 feet (180 m)
Height	70 feet (21 m)
No. of spans	Nine
Rail characteristics
No. of tracks	2
Track gauge	Standard-gauge railway
Electrified	2015
History
Architect	George Stephenson
Construction start	1828
Construction cost	£45,000
Opened	1830
Location

The Sankey Viaduct (locally known as the Nine Arches) is a railway viaduct in North West England. It is a designated Grade I listed building and has been described as being "the earliest major railway viaduct in the world".^[1]

In 1826, the Liverpool and Manchester Railway Company (L&MR) was authorised to construct the world's first intercity railway. One obstacle on the selected 31-mile (50 km) route between Liverpool and Manchester was the Sankey Valley. The company's principal engineer, George Stephenson, designed the Sankey Viaduct for the double-track railway to traverse the valley and Sankey Canal with sufficient clearance for the masts and sails of the Mersey flats that used the canal.^[2]

The viaduct was built between 1828 and 1830, although work on the structure did not finish until the middle of 1833. On 15 September 1830, the viaduct was opened along with the Liverpool & Manchester railway. During 2015, Network Rail installed overhead line equipment as part of a wider electrification programme.