The Cross-City Bridge ( Polish: ''Most średnicowy'') is a rail bridge over the

Vistula The Vistula (; ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest in Europe, at in length. Its drainage basin, extending into three other countries apart from Poland, covers , of which is in Poland. The Vistula rises at Barania Góra i ...

River in

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

, north of the

Poniatowski Bridge The Poniatowski Bridge () is a bridge in Warsaw, Poland. Originally built between 1904 and 1914, it was damaged in each World War and rebuilt after each. It spans the Vistula River, connecting Warsaw's Powiśle and Praga districts. Its viaduct ...

. It forms a part of the

Warsaw Cross-City Line Warsaw cross-city line () is a railway line crossing Central Warsaw in the east–west direction. Opened in 1933 and electrified in 1936, it initially had two tracks, with an additional two added in 1967. The central part of the line is in a t ...

and was originally built between 1921 and 1931 to connect the (now defunct)

Warszawa Główna railway station Warsaw Main Station () was the name of two different railway stations in Warsaw, Poland, both now defunct. A smaller terminus station with two platforms again named Warszawa Główna opened on 14 March 2021. The name was retained for histori ...

and what is now the

Warszawa Wschodnia railway station Warszawa Wschodnia, in English Warsaw East, is one of the most important railway stations in Warsaw, Poland. Its more official name is ''Warszawa Wschodnia Osobowa'' (translated as ''Warsaw East Passenger''). It is located on the eastern side of t ...

History and description

The bridge was designed by Aleksander Pstrokoński. Construction began in 1921 and extended more than 10 years because of a financial crisis, effecting the Polish Building Society (Polskie Towarzystwo Budowlane). Foundations were pneumatically positioned with a metal structure above the pillars. The bridge consisted of four spans of over 90 m, with high arches. On 13 September 1944, the bridge was blown up by retreating

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

troops. Between 1945 and 1949 the bridge was rebuilt in a considerably modified form, with smaller pillars and different design methodology, and was opened to rail traffic on 23 June 1949. A twin bridge was built in the 1960s shortly before the start of the construction of the

Warszawa Centralna railway station Warszawa Centralna (official Polish name since 2019 Dworzec Centralny im. Stanisława Moniuszki), in English known as Warsaw Central Station, is the primary railway station in Warsaw, Poland. Completed in 1975, the station is located on the Warsaw ...

. Currently, the bridge gives the impression of being monolithic, although it actually consists of two independent platforms supported on a common pillars. The four rail tracks link the main railway stations in Warsaw. The two tracks on the north side are designed for long-distance traffic, while the other two are usually used by commuter trains. The bridge has five spans and length of 445 m.

Bibliography

* Encyklopedia Warszawy (1994 ) (in Polish). {{Authority control Bridges in Warsaw Bridges completed in 1931 Railway bridges in Poland Powiśle, Warsaw