Liverpool To Manchester Line Railway Bridge Over Bridgewater Canal - Manchester, UK - Arch Bridges on Waymarking.com

The Bridgewater Canal

"The Bridgewater Canal connects Runcorn, Manchester and Leigh, in North West England. It was commissioned by Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater, to transport coal from his mines in Worsley to Manchester. It was opened in 1761 from Worsley to Manchester, and later extended from Manchester to Runcorn, and then from Worsley to Leigh.

Often considered to be the first "true" canal in England, as it relied upon existing watercourses as sources of water rather than as navigable routes. Navigable throughout its history, it is one of the few canals in Britain not to have been nationalised, and remains privately owned. Pleasure craft now use the canal which forms part of the Cheshire Ring network of canals." link

The Railway Line
"The bridge was originally built to carry the Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway which opened in 1849. As the name suggests it was originally built to connect the town of Altrincham with Manchester and was Manchester’s first suburban railway line. The railway line is carried at this high level throughout Manchester and passes through Deansgate, Oxford Road and Piccadilly stations.

Sometime after this line was built a branch line was constructed to Liverpool and these days this is the only route used on this bridge. This line now carries the southern route of two Liverpool To Manchester Lines

The Altrincham line has now been converted to a light rail transit system that descends into the centre of Manchester and then runs along tracks in the road. The trams for this route now use another bridge that stands next to this one.

The trains that use this viaduct are operated by First TransPennine Express and Northern Rail. Depending on the time of day up to 4 trains an hour use the bridge." link

What type of traffic does this bridge support?: Railroad What kind of gap does this bridge cross?: The Bridgewater Canal Date constructed: 1849 Is the bridge still in service for its original purpose?: Yes Name of road or trail the bridge services: Manchester to Liverpool Rail Line Location: Manchester Length of bridge: Not listed Height of bridge: Not listed

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