New Westminster Bridge

New Westminster Bridge
New Westminster Bridge is the swing bridge
Coordinates 49°12′29″N 122°53′39″W / 49.208167°N 122.894204°W / 49.208167; -122.894204 (New Westminster Bridge)Coordinates: 49°12′29″N 122°53′39″W / 49.208167°N 122.894204°W / 49.208167; -122.894204 (New Westminster Bridge)
Carries 1 railway track
Crosses Fraser River
Locale New Westminster and Surrey
British Columbia, Canada
Owner Government of Canada
Maintained by Canadian National Railway
Characteristics
Design Swing bridge
Rail characteristics
Track gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) (standard gauge)
Electrified No
History
Opened 1904
New Westminster Bridge
Location in Metro Vancouver

The New Westminster Bridge (also known as the New Westminster Rail Bridge (NSRW)[1] or the Fraser River Swing Bridge) is a swing bridge that crosses the Fraser River and connects New Westminster with Surrey, British Columbia, Canada.

The bridge is owned by the Government of Canada, operated and maintained by the Canadian National Railway, with the Southern Railway of British Columbia (SRYBC), Canadian Pacific Railway, and BNSF Railway having track usage rights,[1] as do Amtrak's Cascades (with service to Portland and Seattle) and Via Rail's The Canadian (with service to Toronto).

History

The New Westminster Bridge was constructed in 1904 and was originally built with two decks. The lower deck was used for rail traffic while the upper deck was used for automobile traffic.

Crossing the river prior to the construction of the New Wesminster Bridge required using the K de K ferry[2] which would dock at the present day neighbourhood of South Westminster (formerly the historic community of Brownsville) located in the city of Surrey.

The toll for the upper bridge was 25 cents and created quite an uproar for farmers who found out quickly that by taking their livestock across on foot would cost them a quarter a head but if they put them in a truck it cost a quarter for the whole load.

The bridge was the preferred method of transport across the Fraser until the opening of the Pattullo Bridge in 1937. The upper deck was removed and the bridge was converted exclusively for rail use.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Greater Vancouver Gateway Council - Lower Mainland Rail Infrastructure Study" (PDF). City of Vancouver. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Bo P275 - ["K de K" steam ferry on the Fraser River]". City of Vancouver. Retrieved November 27, 2017.


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