Bayswater Subway

Last updated

The Bayswater Subway from the north east, August 2020 Bayswater Bridge August 2020.jpg
The Bayswater Subway from the north east, August 2020

The Bayswater Subway (or Bayswater Bridge) was a road under rail subway in Perth, Western Australia. It was located immediately west of Bayswater railway station, and carried King William Street / Coode Street beneath the Midland line. [1] The subway was demolished in April 2023 as part of Metronet's rebuild of Bayswater station. [2]

Contents

In the later decades of its existence the bridge gained notoriety for it being frequently struck by tall vehicles due to its low clearance. [2] [3] Because of this it has been called an "infamous icon" of Perth. [4] [5] [6]

History

The bridge was first proposed in 1898, [7] but it was not until 14 February 1910 that it was opened. [8] It is different from the historic railway bridge over the Swan River that existed between 1897 and 1957, which at times had been referred to as the "Bayswater Bridge". [9]

As part of the conversion of the Eastern Railway from narrow gauge to dual gauge, the original two lane bridge was demolished in May 1969 and rebuilt with four lanes underneath. Bayswater railway station was rebuilt at the same time. [10] : 268–269 

With a low clearance of 3.8 metres (12 ft 6 in), the bridge gained notoriety and received significant media coverage for being frequently struck by trucks and other tall vehicles. [3] [2] It inspired the creation of a website that tracked the number of days since the bridge had been last hit. [11] In September 2014, flashing low clearance signs were put on the bridge to deter drivers in tall vehicles from attempting to drive underneath the bridge. [12] Despite this, between 2014 (when the Public Transport Authority started counting) and May 2019, the Bayswater Subway was struck by 36 vehicles. [13] In May 2019, one of the low clearance signs fell off the bridge, landing on a vehicle and breaking its windscreen. [14] Despite, or because of, its infamy the bridge has been called a local icon by some, including Premier Mark McGowan. [5] [6]

In 2021, Metronet commenced a second rebuild of Bayswater station to accommodate new rail lines. As part of the rebuild the subway was replaced by a new 4.8-metre-high (16 ft) bridge which will also carry the new elevated station's platforms. [15] [16] In April 2023, the railway closed for four weeks to allow the existing railway line to be aligned to operate over the new bridge and for the old bridge to be demolished, which occurred between 14 and 17 April 2023. [17] [3] Due to the notoriety of the bridge and the public interest in its demolition, a temporary viewing platform was built for the public to view the bridge's removal, [3] and a farewell community event was held on 30 April 2023 at Bert Wright Park. [18] Parts of the bridge will be incorporated into landscaping around the new station area, while the low clearance signage will be repurposed into public art. [2] [18] Signage from the bridge will also be donated to the City of Bayswater, while one such sign was donated to a local café named after the old bridge's clearance. [2] [18]

Although it was the best-known bridge in Perth for being hit, the Bayswater Subway was not the lowest road-under-rail bridge in Perth. The Sutherland Street bridge, in West Perth has a clearance of 3.7 metres (12 ft 2 in), [19] and the Seventh Avenue Bridge, in Maylands had a clearance of 3.3 metres (10 ft 10 in) before it was rebuilt. [20]

See also

Related Research Articles

The Midland line is a suburban rail service on the Transperth network in Perth, Western Australia. It runs on the Eastern Railway through Perth's eastern suburbs and connects Midland with Perth. Travelling from Midland, the trains terminate at Fremantle on the Fremantle line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Lawley railway station</span> Railway station in Perth, Western Australia

Mount Lawley railway station is 3.2 kilometres (2.0 mi) from Perth railway station, in Western Australia, on the Midland Line and Airport line on the Transperth commuter rail network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maylands railway station</span> Railway station in Perth, Western Australia

Maylands railway station is a station in Maylands, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia. It is on the Midland line and Airport line, between Mount Lawley station and Meltham station. It is 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi), or eight minutes by train, from Perth station. Services on each line run every 12 minutes during peak and every 15 minutes between peak for a combined frequency of a train every 6 minutes during peak and every 7.5 minutes outside peak.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bayswater railway station, Perth</span> Railway station in Perth, Western Australia

Bayswater railway station is a temporarily closed station in Bayswater, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia. It is on the Midland line and Airport line on the Transperth commuter rail network. Services on each line run every 12 minutes during peak and every 15 minutes between peak. The journey to Perth station is 6.7 kilometres (4.2 mi), and takes 12 minutes. The station is served by three regular bus routes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meltham railway station</span> Railway station in Perth, Western Australia

Meltham railway station is a railway station in Bayswater, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia. It is on the Midland line and Airport line, between Maylands and Bayswater. It is 5.5 kilometres, or 10 minutes by train, from Perth railway station Services run every 6 minutes during peak and every 7.5 minutes between peak.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bayswater, Western Australia</span> Suburb of Perth, Western Australia

Bayswater is a suburb 6 km (4 mi) north-east of the central business district (CBD) of Perth, the capital of Western Australia. It is just north of the Swan River, within the City of Bayswater local government area. It is predominantly a low-density residential suburb consisting of single-family detached homes. However, there are several clusters of commercial buildings, most notably in the suburb's town centre, around the intersection of Whatley Crescent and King William Street and a light industrial area in the suburb's east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Railways in Perth</span> Public transport system serving Perth, Western Australia

Railways in Perth, the capital city of Western Australia, have existed since 1881, when the Eastern Railway was opened between Fremantle and Guildford. Today, Perth has seven Transperth commuter rail lines and 76 stations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Airport line, Perth</span> Suburban rail service in Perth, Western Australia

The Airport line is a suburban railway line and service in Perth, Western Australia, operated by the Public Transport Authority as part of the Transperth system. The Airport line is a branch of the Midland line and runs underground between Bayswater and High Wycombe via Perth Airport. The Airport line branch is 8.6 kilometres (5.3 mi) long and has three stations: Redcliffe, Airport Central, and High Wycombe stations. Airport line services continue west of Bayswater along the Midland and Fremantle lines via Perth station to terminate at Claremont station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Redcliffe railway station</span> Railway station in Perth, Western Australia

Redcliffe railway station is a station for underground commuter rail services in Redcliffe, east of Perth, Western Australia. The station is one of three stations that were built as part of the Forrestfield–Airport Link project and is served by Transperth's Airport line services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Byford railway station</span> Railway station in Western Australia

Byford railway station is located on the South Western Railway in Western Australia. It serves the south-eastern Perth suburb of Byford.

Nicholson Road railway station is an under construction station on the Thornlie–Cockburn Link in Perth, Western Australia as part of Metronet. It is planned to open in 2025.

Eglinton railway station is an under-construction commuter rail station in Eglinton, Western Australia. The station is being constructed as part of the Yanchep rail extension of Transperth's Joondalup line, and is planned to open in early-2024.

Yanchep railway station is an under-construction commuter rail station in Yanchep, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia. The station is being constructed as part of the Yanchep rail extension of Transperth's Joondalup line, and is planned to open in early-2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metronet (Western Australia)</span> Government agency in Western Australia

Metronet is a multi-government agency in Western Australia. It is responsible for managing extensions to Perth's rail network. It was formed to deliver commitments made by the McGowan Government during the 2017 election campaign.

The Morley–Ellenbrook line is a planned suburban rail service between the Perth central business district and Ellenbrook in Western Australia. Construction began in 2021 as part of Metronet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morley railway station, Perth</span> Proposed railway station in Perth, Western Australia

Morley railway station is a bus and railway station under construction as part of the Metronet Morley–Ellenbrook Line, serving the Perth suburbs of Bayswater, Embleton and Morley. It is to be built in the median strip of Tonkin Highway at Broun Avenue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montague Street Bridge</span> Tram bridge in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

The Montague Street Bridge is a railway bridge in South Melbourne, Australia, an inner suburb of Melbourne. The bridge is located at 83 Montague Street, between Woodgate Street and Gladstone Lane.

Whiteman Park railway station is a bus and railway station on the Morley–Ellenbrook railway line in Perth, Western Australia as part of Metronet, serving Whiteman Park and the suburbs of Henley Brook, Dayton, West Swan, and Brabham. The station is currently under construction, with opening scheduled for 2024.

References

  1. ↑ "Manual – Rail Access" (PDF). Public Transport Authority. pp. 93, 96. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Notorious Bayswater bridge — the bane of Perth truck drivers — demolished as part of Metronet development". ABC News. 15 April 2023. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Dietsch, Jake (12 April 2023). "Bane of truck drivers Perth's notorious Bayswater Bridge due to be destroyed on Friday". PerthNow. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  4. ↑ "Countdown on until we farewell the infamous Bayswater Bridge". mediastatements.wa.gov.au. 13 March 2022. Archived from the original on 24 April 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  5. 1 2 Fenner, Rachel (14 April 2023). "Premier Mark McGowan posts tear-jerking farewell to Perth's beloved Bayswater Bridge pre-demolition". PerthNow. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  6. 1 2 Phillips, Kate (15 April 2023). "Bayswater Bridge: Icon's biggest little fans optimistic about future of site". The West. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  7. ↑ "Bayswater Requirements". Western Mail. 5 December 1898. Archived from the original on 18 July 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  8. ↑ "Road Board Meetings – Bayswater". The West Australian . 8 February 1910. Archived from the original on 18 July 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  9. ↑ West Australian Newspapers (1957), Workers demolishing the Belmont Railway Bridge, archived from the original on 3 April 2023, retrieved 25 August 2020
  10. ↑ May, Catherine (2013). Changes they've seen : the city and people of Bayswater 1827-2013. Morley, W.A.: City of Bayswater. ISBN   9780646596082.
  11. ↑ "How Many Days Since The Bayswater Bridge Has Been Hit?". Archived from the original on 10 August 2020. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  12. ↑ Marrapodi, Chenee. "New clearance signs for Bayswater subway". WAtoday . Archived from the original on 26 February 2021. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  13. ↑ "Perth's notorious Bayswater bridge, enemy of truck drivers everywhere, claims another victim". ABC News . Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  14. ↑ "The Bayswater Bridge fights back: Car left wrecked after sign falls on roof". WAtoday. Archived from the original on 5 October 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  15. ↑ "Countdown on until we farewell the infamous Bayswater Bridge". Metronet . 13 March 2022. Archived from the original on 13 March 2022. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  16. ↑ Zimmerman, Josh (13 March 2022). "WA Transport Minister Rita Saffioti announces replacement of infamous Bayswater Bridge". The West Australian. Archived from the original on 13 March 2022. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  17. ↑ "Agenda: Ordinary Council Meeting – 28 March 2023". City of Bayswater. p. 303. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  18. 1 2 3 "Farewell Baysie Bridge!". Metronet. 15 April 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  19. ↑ Allan-Petale, David. "Low clearance, high drama as truck gets stuck at Scitech bridge in West Perth". WAtoday. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  20. ↑ Wilson, David. Managing Low Clearances under bridges in Perth. Main Roads Western Australia.

31°55′06″S115°54′41″E / 31.91838°S 115.91142°E / -31.91838; 115.91142

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.