Staines Railway Bridge

This article is about the railway bridge in Staines-upon-Thames. For the road bridge, see Staines Bridge.

Staines Railway Bridge
Staines Railway Bridge from the north-west
Coordinates	51°25′50″N0°30′40″W / 51.4306°N 0.5112°W / 51.4306; -0.5112
Carries	Waterloo to Reading line
Crosses	River Thames
Locale	Staines-upon-Thames, Surrey
Maintained by	Network Rail
Characteristics
Material	Cast iron and wrought iron
No. of spans	3
Piers in water	2
Clearance below	6.4 m (21 ft) [1]
History
Designer	John Gardner
Opened	1856
Location

Staines Railway Bridge is a railway viaduct in Staines-upon-Thames, Surrey, around 17 miles (28 kilometres) west of central London. It carries the Waterloo to Reading line across the Thames. Immediately to the east is Thames Street bridge, which carries the railway over the B376 and the Thames Path.

Description

Staines Railway Bridge carries the two tracks of the electrified Waterloo to Reading line across the River Thames in Surrey, South East England. ^[2] The bridge is 35 mi 3 furlongs (57 km) upstream of London Bridge ^[3] and has a total length of 85.2 m (279 ft 8 in). It is built of wrought iron girders supported on six cast iron pillars, embedded in the river bed. ^[4]

The central span is 27 m (88 ft 6 in) and the two adjacent spans are 26 m (85 ft 3 in). There are four brick flood arches on the southern bank, each with a span of 7.6 m (25 ft). ^{[5] [6]} The clearance below the bridge for river traffic is 6.4 m (21 ft). ^[1]

History

Staines Railway Bridge from upstream

The Staines, Wokingham and Woking Railway Act 1853 (16 & 17 Vict. c. lxxxv) authorised the Staines, Wokingham and Woking railway (SWWR) to build a line between Staines and Wokingham railway stations. ^[5] Staines Railway Bridge was designed by John Gardner and was built by Cochrane & Co at a total cost of around £10,000. ^{[4] [6]} The bridge was completed in 1856, and the first part of the railway line, between Staines and Ascot, opened on 6 July that year. ^[5] The SWWR merged with the London and South Western Railway in 1878. ^{[7] [8]} The main bridge girders were strengthened in 1915, ^[5] and the line across the viaduct was electrified in 1937. ^[9]

During the Second World War, the line was used to transport supplies to Portsmouth Naval Base and the bridge was guarded by a dedicated army platoon of around 25 soldiers. ^[10] In 1995, a yellow stripe was painted onto each side of the viaduct in a £15,000 experimental project to prevent swans from flying into it. ^[11]

Thames Street bridge

The adjacent Thames Street bridge, which carries the railway over the B376 and the Thames Path, was named in 2021 as one of the country's ten railway bridges most likely to be struck by vehicles. ^{[12] [13]}

See also

Media related to Staines Railway Bridge at Wikimedia Commons

• Staines Bridge upstream of the railway bridge
• Crossings of the River Thames

References

1. "River Thames: distances and measurements for boaters". Environment Agency. 21 February 2023 [12 February 2020]. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
2. Lunn, Geoff (2022). Thames Crossings through Time. Stroud: Amberley Publishing. p. 46. ISBN   978-1-39-810576-8.
3. Woodgate, Walter Bradford (1889). Boating. London: Longmans, Green and Company. p. 309. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
4. Humber, William (1861). A complete treatise on cast and wrought iron bridge construction. Vol. I. London: E. & F. N. Spon. pp. 178–179. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
5. Davenport, Neil (2006). Thames Bridges from Dartford to the Source. Kettering: Silver Link. p. 106. ISBN   978-1-85-794229-3.
6. Phillips, Geoffrey (1981). Thames Crossings: Bridges, Tunnels, and Ferries . Newton Abbot: David & Charles. pp. 139–140. ISBN   978-0-71-538202-8 . Retrieved 1 July 2025.
7. Maryfield, Pamela (2006). Staines : A history. Chichester: Phillimore. p. 98. ISBN   978-1-86-077420-1.
8. Mills, John (1993). A guide to the industrial history of Spelthorne. Guildford: Surrey Industrial History Group. p. 4. ISBN   978-0-95-096976-3.
9. Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (1989). Branch lines around Ascot : from Ash Vale, Weybridge, Staines and Wokingham. Midhurst: Middleton. Introduction. ISBN   978-0-90-652064-2.
10. Deedes, F.W. (3 September 1999). "We seem to have started - it's all so silly". Daily Telegraph. No. 44856. p. 15.
11. "A paint job for swans". Staines and Ashford News. 12 October 1995. p. 1.
12. Evans, Alec (29 November 2021). "Surrey railway bridge named as one of Britain 's most-hit by vehicles". Surrey Live. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
13. Strudwick, Matt (16 February 2023). "Notorious Staines bridge recently named among most-hit struck by lorry again". Surrey Live. Retrieved 16 December 2023.

Next bridge upstream	River Thames	Next bridge downstream
Staines Bridge	Staines Railway Bridge	M3 Chertsey Bridge