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New Westminster Bridge

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Coordinates: 49°12′29″N 122°53′39″W / 49.208167°N 122.894204°W / 49.208167; -122.894204 (New Westminster Bridge)
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New Westminster Bridge
Coordinates49°12′29″N 122°53′39″W / 49.208167°N 122.894204°W / 49.208167; -122.894204 (New Westminster Bridge)
CarriesFreight and passenger trains
Originally, trains and automobiles
CrossesFraser River
LocaleNew Westminster
Surrey
OwnerGovernment of Canada
Maintained byCanadian National Railway
Characteristics
DesignSwing bridge
MaterialSteel[1]
Pier constructionGranite[1]
Total length2,400 ft (731.5 m) (not including approaches) [1]
Longest span380 ft (120 m)[2]: E–3 
No. of spans4
Clearance below22 ft (6.7 m)[3]: 38 
Capacity60 trains per day[4]
Rail characteristics
No. of tracks1
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) (standard gauge)
ElectrifiedNo
History
DesignerWaddel & Hedrick[1]
Construction startAugust 1902[1]
OpenedJuly 23, 1904[1]
Statistics
Daily traffic46 freight trains per day[4]
Location
Map

The New Westminster Bridge (also known as the New Westminster Rail Bridge (NSRW)[3] or the Fraser River Swing Bridge) is a swing bridge that crosses the Fraser River and connects New Westminster with Surrey, British Columbia, Canada.

The bridge is owned by the Government of Canada, operated and maintained by the Canadian National Railway, with the Southern Railway of British Columbia (SRY), Canadian Pacific Kansas City, and BNSF Railway having track usage rights,[3] as do Amtrak's Cascades (with service to Portland and Seattle) and Via Rail's The Canadian (with service to Toronto).

History

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Fire on the New Westminster Bridge in May 1982

The New Westminster Bridge was constructed in 1904 and formally opened on July 23 by the Lieutenant governor of British Columbia.[1] It was originally built with two decks; the lower deck was used for rail traffic while the upper deck was used for automobile traffic.[5]

Crossing the river prior to the construction of the New Westminster Bridge required using the K de K ferry[6] which would dock at the present day neighbourhood of South Westminster (formerly the historic community of Brownsville) located in the city of Surrey.

The toll for the upper bridge was 25 cents[citation needed] and created quite an uproar for farmers who found out quickly that by taking their livestock across on foot would cost them a quarter a head but if they put them in a truck it cost a quarter for the whole load.

The bridge was the preferred method of transport across the Fraser until the opening of the Pattullo Bridge in 1937. The upper deck was removed and the bridge was converted exclusively for rail use. On May 29, 1982, a significant fire broke out on the New Westminster Bridge.[7] On November 28, 1987, a barge struck the bridge. The resulting legal action of Canadian National Railway Co. v. Norsk Pacific Steamship Co. became a leading Supreme Court of Canada decision.[8]

As of 2004, the speed limit for trains was 11 miles per hour (18 kilometres per hour), which had been increased from 8 mph (13 km/h).[3]: 38 

The bridge is a heavily used single-track railway that supports only low train speeds and is swung open for marine traffic for a significant portion of each day. Because of this situation, studies have been conducted to relocate the northern terminus of Amtrak's Cascades passenger train service from Pacific Central Station in downtown Vancouver southeast by 21 kilometres (13 mi) to Surrey. The proposed new terminus at the Skytrain rapid transit system's Scott Road Station is about 900 metres (3,000 ft) from the bridge. The location would allow additional round trips from Seattle, Washington to be added by avoiding the need to cross the Fraser River.[9][10][2][11]

In the early 2020s, the Canadian National Railway completed seismic upgrades to the bridge.[12]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Legacy of Waddell & Harrington Sets Stage for Future Success". Hardesty & Hanover.
  2. ^ a b "Appendix E: Amtrak Cascades northern terminus options". Washington State Long-Range Plan for Amtrak Cascades (PDF) (Report). Washington State Department of Transportation. February 2006. ARK ark:/13960/t9b68gq91. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 8, 2009. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d Lower mainland rail infrastructure study (PDF). Greater Vancouver Gateway Council (Report). December 17, 2004. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  4. ^ a b "The system in 2030 - Rail". Greater Vancouver Gateway Council. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  5. ^ Francis, Daniel (September 1, 2012). Trucking in British Columbia: An Illustrated History. Harbour Publishing. ISBN 978-1550175615.
  6. ^ "Bo P275 - ["K de K" steam ferry on the Fraser River]". City of Vancouver. Retrieved November 27, 2017.
  7. ^ "New Westminster Bridge fire with tugboats attending". City of New Westminster. May 29, 1982. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
  8. ^ "Case summary". www.taylorfrancis.com. doi:10.4324/9781843145790-45.
  9. ^ Nagel, Jeff (March 6, 2007). "Surrey eyes for Amtrak station". Peace Arch News. ISSN 0700-9003. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
  10. ^ Wilbur Smith Associates (December 20, 2002). "Chapter 6: Scott Road station pre-feasibility analysis" (PDF). Cascade Gateway rail study (Report). International Mobility and Trade Corridor Project (IMTC). OCLC 53009932. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
  11. ^ "Appendix A: Greater Vancouver, BC terminal options". Washington state Amtrak Cascades operating costs technical report (Report). Vol. 4. Washington State Department of Transportation. February 2006. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
  12. ^ Adair, Paul (June 2023). "The New Westminster Railway Bridge seismic upgrade project". Piling Canada. ISSN 1912-5917. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
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