Fremantle Railway Bridge
Railway bridge on the Fremantle railway
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fremantle Railway Bridge (known also as the North Fremantle Bridge) is a railway bridge on the Fremantle railway line that crosses the Swan River between Fremantle and North Fremantle. It is the third structure with that name.
Previous bridges
The first railway bridge was of concern due to its structure,[1] as well as its position limiting the eastern extent of the Fremantle Harbour.[2] It was opened in 1880 and was demolished in 1895â1897, after the second bridge came into operation.[3]
In 1926, the bridge was destroyed by a flood[4] and was re-built soon after.[5]
Current bridge
The current bridge, which was planned in the 1950s,[6] is further upstream and closer to the Fremantle Traffic Bridge than the earlier lower structure.
In May 2011, a bunker barge hit the bridge, damaging one of the steel masts which support the trainâs overhead power cables.[7] In August 2014, a meteotsunami caused strong currents which broke the moorings of a container ship. The ship collided with the railway bridge which damaged a pier and an overhead power structure. The bridge was closed for two weeks.[8][9] It now has barriers to prevent further collisions.[citation needed]
