Welland Viaduct

Welland Viaduct
The viaduct in 2006
Coordinates	52°34′1″N 0°39′14″W / 52.56694°N 0.65389°W / 52.56694; -0.65389
OS grid reference	SP915975
Carries	Oakham to Kettering Line
Crosses	River Welland
Locale	Northamptonshire – Rutland
Official name	Welland Viaduct
Owner	Network Rail
Maintained by	Network Rail
Heritage status	Grade II listed[1]
Characteristics
Design	Arch bridge
Material	Brick
Total length	1,275 yd (1.166 km)
Height	60 ft (18 m) maximum
No. of spans	82[2]
Rail characteristics
No. of tracks	2
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Structure gauge	RA10[2]
History
Designer	William Henry Barlow[2]
Constructed by	Lucas and Aird[1]
Construction start	1875
Construction end	1878
Construction cost	£12,000[1]
Opened	1880 (1880)[3]
Location

Welland Viaduct, Harringworth Viaduct or Seaton Viaduct,^[4] crosses the valley of the River Welland between Harringworth in Northamptonshire and Seaton in Rutland, England.

The viaduct is 1,275 yards (1.166 km) long and has 82 arches, each with a 40 feet (12 m) span. It is the longest viaduct across a valley in the United Kingdom.^[5] Built by the contractor Lucas and Aird, a total of 30 million bricks were used in the viaduct's construction.^[2] Completed during 1878, it has since become a Grade II listed building.^[6]

The Welland Viaduct is on the Oakham to Kettering Line between Corby and Manton Junction, where it joins the Leicester to Peterborough line. The line is generally used by freight trains and steam specials. In early 2009, a single daily return passenger service was introduced by East Midlands Trains between Melton Mowbray and St Pancras via Corby, the first regular passenger service to operate across the viaduct since the 1960s. There are now two return services between Melton Mowbray and London St Pancras each weekday. The viaduct is on a diversionary route for East Midlands Railway using the Midland Main Line route.