Merivale Bridge

Okay, so I'm standing here looking at the Merivale Bridge, and it's pretty impressive. It's a double-track railway bridge, and it's the only inner-city rail crossing in Brisbane. It connects the northern and southern parts of the Queensland Rail City network, linking South Brisbane and Roma Street stations. You can see it between the Go Between Bridge and the William Jolly Bridge.

This bridge really changed things for Brisbane's southern suburban trains, giving them a more direct route into the city than the old way through Corinda. And since 1986, it's also been carrying the standard gauge line from New South Wales, which is pretty cool.

It's amazing to think this bridge was only opened on November 18, 1978, by Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen. He called it "the start of the second stage in the history of Queensland Railways" at the opening, with 850 guests there. The first train to cross was Diesel electric locomotive no. 2422.

What's really wild is how long it took to get this thing built. People had been trying to connect Brisbane's north and south rail networks for almost a century! There were surveys as far back as 1885, and plans were drawn up in 1889 for a route through Herschel Street, but the government kept putting it off. The merchants of South Brisbane even fought against it, worried about losing trade to central city businesses. The idea came up again in 1913, and then in 1919, but it kept getting delayed.

Even in 1950, when they were talking about electrifying the suburban network, the bridge idea resurfaced. Plans were finalized in 1954, and the government announced it would go ahead in 1955, but financial problems stopped it again. Finally, in 1970, a study recommended the route surveyed back in 1890, and the State Cabinet approved it in October 1971. Transfield got the contract in 1975, and the first pile was driven on August 21, 1975. It took three years and three months to build.

The bridge was designed by Cameron McNamara Pty Ltd and fabricated and erected by Transfield. It's even won awards – the 1979 Steel Award and in 1980, it was named the most outstanding engineering project by the Association of Consulting Engineers of Australia, who really liked how it combined beauty and function. It was named after Merivale Street in South Brisbane, which it aligns with. Pretty neat history for a railway bridge!