Railways and Tramways of Australia

Brisbane’s Merivale Rail Bridge crosses the Brisbane River between South Brisbane and Roma Street stations. Its opening in 1978 completed a vital rail link between the southern suburbs of Brisbane and the central business district. Today the two tracks on the Merivale Bridge see frequent train services but a new rail connection underneath the Brisbane River is also under construction.

 

Bridge proposals

Completion of a railway bridge across the Brisbane River was a long-awaited project. In 1885 a trial survey was undertaken from South Brisbane across the river near where the William Jolly road bridge was later built. Further routes were considered and in 1889 plans were prepared for a crossing in the vicinity of Herschel Street, near the current Kurilpa Bridge, which caters for pedestrians and cyclists. The Queensland Government decided not to proceed at the time and requested a new survey for a different route connecting with the western line at Petrie Terrace or Upper Roma Street. Although the survey was completed, no further progress was made. The Brisbane Railway League lobbied strongly for a bridge, but traders in South Brisbane opposed it, worrying that they would lose business to competitors in the city.

 

Further consideration of a bridge across the Brisbane River was examined in 1913 and again in 1919, but pressure from opponents again saw the proposal lapse. The issue was raised one more in 1950 in conjunction with discussions about electrification of railways in Brisbane; plans for a bridge were finalised in 1954. The Queensland Government announced in 1955 that it would proceed with construction of a railway bridge across the river and land resumptions commenced. However, financial problems again saw the project deferred.

 

South Brisbane

With the completion of the first Albert Bridge across the Brisbane River near Indooroopilly in 1876, Brisbane was connected to Toowoomba and further beyond by the Main Line railway. Goods arrived at Brisbane terminus (now Roma Street) by train and were transported by cart across the Victoria Bridge to wharves at South Brisbane. The need for double handling was eliminated from 2 June 1884 when a link from the Main Line at Corinda was opened through Yeerongpilly to the Brisbane River at Stanley Street. Stanley Street station was located around the site of the current Queensland Maritime Museum, close to South Bank station, and was the main terminus south of the river until 1891. South Brisbane railway station was originally named Melbourne Street and opened on 21 December 1891. Prior to the opening of South Brisbane, the railway from Corinda to Yeerongpilly extended to the Brisbane River at Stanley Street, a line which opened on 2 June 1884.

 

South Brisbane became a busy terminus with the expansion of the suburban railway network to the south and south-eastern suburbs. Its importance was enhanced with the opening of the interstate railway from Kyogle in New South Wales through to South Brisbane in 1930. A new standard gauge interstate station was opened to the west of the current South Brisbane station. The completion of the New South Wales North Coast line with the opening of the Clarence River Bridge at Grafton in 1932 brought direct train services from Sydney to South Brisbane. It was an important terminus and interchange station.

 

Prior to the opening of the Merivale Bridge it was possible to travel between South Brisbane and Roma Street by train, but it was a circuitous journey of 21 km. The new bridge cut this to just 1.2 km. Its completion also resulted in a significant downgrading of South Brisbane station.

 

The opening of the Merivale Bridge in 1978 meant that suburban trains no longer needed to terminate at South Brisbane and could proceed directly across the new bridge into the city. At the time of its opening the railway across the Merivale Bridge was not electrified as electric trains did not commence operating in Brisbane until 1979. The line was electrified as part of the completion of electrification between Kingston in the southern suburbs and Shorncliffe in the northern suburbs on 18 September 1982, 12 days before the opening of the Commonwealth Games in Brisbane.

 

The standard gauge passenger terminal at South Brisbane was closed on 21 June 1986 with the extension of the standard gauge across the Merivale Bridge. Standard gauge trains from Sydney now terminated at Roma Street instead of South Brisbane. Although South Brisbane remains a busy suburban station, it is no longer an important terminus.

 

Merivale Bridge

The South East Queensland and Brisbane Region Public Transport Study was submitted to the Government in 1970 and contained recommendation that a bridge proceed. In the following year Cameron McNamara and Partners were commissioned to carry out design work. The first contracts for associated works were awarded in 1974 and on 5 August that year the Minister for Transport, KW Hooper, turned the first sod. In 1975 the contract for the bridge itself was awarded to Transfield and the first pile was driven on 21 August. Construction of the bridge was seen as a vital part of upgrading Brisbane’s public transport, and was seen as essential before electrification of the suburban rail network could commence. Work proceeded over the next three years.

 

Merivale Bridge is of tied arch design, has a main span of 133 metres, and consists of two steel arches. Its construction included 2000 tonnes of structural steel, 3800 tonnes of steel bars, 343 tonnes of high tensile steel strand, 48 tonnes of bridge cable and 21,800 cubic metres of concrete. The bridge deck is between the arches and was kept as low as possible to minimise gradients for trains; the maximum gradient is 1 in 70 (1.4%). It has a clearance of 14.6 metres above the low water mark. Linked to the bridge are 754 metres of pre-stressed concrete viaducts and a tunnel. The new cross-river link was 1.21 km in length and cost $20,600,000. Two-thirds was funded by the Australian Government and one third by the Queensland Government.

 

An official ceremony was held at South Brisbane station on Saturday 18 November 1978, and was attended by around 1500 people. The Commissioner for Railways, Jim Goldston, welcomed those present, and said, “Every Railway Commissioner since Abraham Fitzgibbon in 1865 has dreamed of seeing such a link, and it’s a very high point in the life of the Queensland Railways that this official opening should take place today.” Queensland Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen performed the official opening of the bridge. He said, “This bridge … symbolises the coming era in rail transport. We must now turn to building the railways system that will serve the next hundred years.” Plaques were unveiled to officially open and name the new bridge. The Premier drove diesel-electric locomotive 2422 through a ribbon that was mounted on a symbolic arch. Following the ceremony, a 17-car passenger train made the first official crossing of the new bridge from South Brisbane to Roma Street at 1.15 pm.

 

Commuter trains began using the new bridge from Monday 20 November. New timetables were introduced that provided direct services between the south side of Brisbane and the city centre. Improved service frequencies were also introduced. Significant increases in passenger numbers immediately followed.

 

Present and future

A significant maintenance project from 2016 to 2018 included replacement of sleepers, cleaning and painting the bridge deck, cables and arches, and installation of a permanent gantry, stair access and walkway.

 

Rail traffic density across the Merivale Bridge has continued to increase, and it has a high frequency of services. The need for additional rail capacity across the Brisbane River has led to the development of the Cross River Rail project. Cross River Rail is a 10.2-km railway line connecting Dutton Park, to the south of South Brisbane, with Bowen Hills, to the north of the city. It includes a 5.9-km tunnel under the Brisbane River and CBD. The project provides a second crossing of the Brisbane River, which will ease congestion across the Merivale Bridge. Construction work is ongoing, with the line due to be operational in 2026.

 

References

‘Brisbane bridges gap’, Railways of Australia Network, vol. 16, no. 1, February 1979, pp. 7–11.

‘Brisbane cross-river rail bridge’, Railways of Australia Network, vol. 12, no. 134, July 1975, p. 1.

Cross River Rail <www.crossriverrail.qld.gov.au>.

‘Further stage of Brisbane electrification and Thornside extension opened’, Railway Digest, vol. 21, no. 4, April 1983, p. 131.

McNamara, C, Merivale bridge, Cameron McNamara, Brisbane, c. 1981.

‘Merivale bridge maintenance and painting works, Queensland Rail, <https://www.queenslandrail.com.au/Community/Projects/Pages/Merivale-Bridge-Transom-Replacement-and-Painting.aspx>.

‘Progress with rail bridge’, Railways of Australia Network, vol. 13, no. 148, September 1976, p. 3.

Quinlan, H & JH Newland, Australian railway routes 1854 to 2000, Australian Railway Historical Society, New South Wales Division, Sydney, 2000.