Fremantle Railway Bridge

Fremantle Railway Bridge (known also as the North Fremantle Bridge) is a railway bridge on the Fremantle railway line that crosses the Swan River between Fremantle and North Fremantle. It is the third structure with that name.

Previous bridges

The first railway bridge was of concern due to its structure,[1] as well as its position limiting the eastern extent of the Fremantle Harbour.[2] It was opened in 1880 and was demolished in 1895–1897, after the second bridge came into operation.[3]

In 1926, the bridge was destroyed by a flood[4] and was re-built soon after.[5]

Current bridge

The current bridge, which was planned in the 1950s,[6] is further upstream and closer to the Fremantle Traffic Bridge than the earlier lower structure.

In May 2011, a bunker barge hit the bridge, damaging one of the steel masts which support the train’s overhead power cables.[7] In August 2014, a meteotsunami caused strong currents which broke the moorings of a container ship. The ship collided with the railway bridge which damaged a pier and an overhead power structure. The bridge was closed for two weeks.[8][9] It now has barriers to prevent further collisions.

References

  1. ^ "North Fremantle Bridge". Truth. No. 414. Western Australia. 10 June 1911. p. 11 (City Edition). Retrieved 1 April 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. ^ "Fremantle Railway Bridge". The Inquirer and Commercial News. Vol. LVIII, no. 3, 204. Western Australia. 2 September 1898. p. 3. Retrieved 15 January 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. ^ Campbell, Heather, North Fremantle Railway Bridge Collapse 1926. An accident waiting to happen? (PDF), Fremantle History Society, retrieved 15 June 2024
  4. ^ "Collapse of Fremantle Railway Bridge". Fremantle History Centre. Retrieved 24 December 2025.
  5. ^ "Reconstruction of Fremantle Railway Bridge after collapse in 1926". Rail Heritage WA. Retrieved 24 December 2025.
  6. ^ Maunsell, (G.) and Partners (1959), Railway bridge over the Swan River at Fremantle : memorandum of agreement, London, retrieved 15 January 2017
  7. ^ "Ship hits Fremantle bridge, trains halted". The West Australian. 3 May 2011. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
  8. ^ Pattiaratchi, Charitha; Wijeratne, Ems (9 September 2014). "Explainer: how weather can trigger dangerous tsunamis". The Conversation. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
  9. ^ "Fremantle rail bridge to stay closed". WAtoday. 23 August 2014. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
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