The Maribyrnong River Viaduct (also known locally as the Quarter Mile Bridge) carries the Albion–Jacana railway line, Melbourne across the

Maribyrnong River The Maribyrnong River is a perennial river of the Port Phillip catchment, located in the northwestern suburbs of Melbourne, in the Australian state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria. Course The Maribyrnong River draws its headwaters from near ...

in the western suburbs of

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. It is located near the E J Whitten Bridge, and is almost 400 metres long (hence the Quarter Mile name). It was built in 1927–29 by the

Victorian Railways The Victorian Railways (VR), trading from 1974 as VicRail, was the state-owned operator of most rail transport in the Australian state of Victoria from 1859 to 1983. The first railways in Victoria were private companies, but when these companie ...

Construction Branch, being the largest trestle bridge in Australia when completed in June, 1929.Payne, Bruce, "Albion Viaduct on the Broadmeadows to Albion Line" Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, May, 2003 p 186. Until the completion of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the viaduct was also the highest railway bridge in Australia. It employed 200 people during its construction, with one fatality, and is listed on the

Victorian Heritage Register The Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) lists places deemed to be of cultural heritage significance to the State of Victoria, Australia. It has statutory weight under the Heritage Act 2017. The Minister for Planning is the responsible Minister. H ...

. With a length of , and a height of above the water level, it is the second-highest bridge in Victoria after the

West Gate Bridge The West Gate Bridge is a steel, box girder, cable-stayed bridge in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, spanning the Yarra River just north of its mouth into Port Phillip. It carries the West Gate Freeway and is a vital link between the inner ci ...

(58 metres) The main traffic over the bridge is freight services, but it also carries two passenger services, the Melbourne to Sydney

NSW TrainLink NSW TrainLink is a train and coach operator in Australia, providing services throughout New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, along with limited interstate services into Victoria, Queensland and South Australia. Its primary interc ...

XPT, and the Melbourne-Albury V/Line service which now runs on standard gauge.

References

Notes

City of Moonee Valley Gap Heritage Study
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External links

Images from the construction of the bridge, 1928
Bridges in Melbourne Heritage-listed buildings in Melbourne 1929 establishments in Australia Railway bridges in Victoria (Australia) Bridges completed in 1929 Buildings and structures in the City of Brimbank Buildings and structures in the City of Moonee Valley Transport in the City of Moonee Valley Maribyrnong River Transport in the City of Brimbank {{VictoriaAU-struct-stub