King Edward VII Bridge

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King Edward VII Bridge
Train crossing the King Edward VII Bridge
Carries	Railway
Crosses	River Tyne
Locale	Newcastle-Gateshead, England
Design	Truss bridge
Total length	350.8 m
Width	15.3 m
Opening date	10 July 1906

The King Edward VII Bridge is a railway bridge spanning the River Tyne between Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead, in North East England.

The bridge was designed and engineered by Charles A. Harrison, the Chief Civil Engineer of the North Eastern Railway, and built by the Cleveland Bridge & Engineering Companyin Darlington. The bridge is rather inelegant but functional consisting of four lattice steel spans resting on concrete piers. The total length of the bridge is 1,150 feet and 112 feet above high water mark.

Originally trains using the High Level Bridge to reach Newcastle Central Station had to leave the station in the same direction they had entered, which usually involved the tedious task of reversing.

The construction of the King Edward VII Bridge provided four more rail tracks, thus forming a loop through the station, which enabled trains to enter or leave from either side and thus ease rail congestion.

The bridge was opened by King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra on 10 July 1906. The total cost amounted to £500,000.

On the 10th May 2007 an EWS freight train derailed which caused major disruption along the Newcastle section of the East Coast Main Line. This incident still under investigation.