| Parramatta River railway bridge, Meadowbank | |
| Coordinates: | -33.822°N 151.0888°W |
| Map Relief: | yes |
| Location: | Main Northern railway line, Meadowbank and Rhodes, Sydney, Australia |
| Beginning Label: | Design period |
| Built: | 1886 |
| Built For: | New South Wales Government Railways |
| Architect: | John Whitton |
| Owner: | Transport Asset Holding Entity |
| Designation1: | New South Wales State Heritage Register |
| Designation1 Offname: | Meadowbank Rail Bridge over Parramatta River; John Whitton Bridge; Meadowbank Rhodes Railway Bridge |
| Designation1 Type: | State heritage (built) |
| Designation1 Date: | 2 April 1999 |
| Designation1 Number: | 1189 |
| Designation1 Free1name: | Type |
| Designation1 Free1value: | Railway Bridge/ Viaduct |
| Designation1 Free2name: | Category |
| Designation1 Free2value: | Transport – Rail |
| Designation1 Free3name: | Builders |
The Meadowbank Railway Bridge is a heritage-listed former railway bridge and now cycleway which carried the Main Northern line across the Parramatta River between the suburbs of Meadowbank and Rhodes in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by John Whitton and built in 1886. The bridge is also known as the Meadowbank Rail Bridge over Parramatta River, erroneously the John Whitton Bridge and the Meadowbank–Rhodes Railway Bridge. It is owned by the Transport Asset Holding Entity.
The bridge was built in 1886.[1]
In 1980, a new parallel bridge, the John Whitton Bridge, was built to carry the train line and the historic bridge was taken out of use.[2] After twenty years of disuse, it was converted to a pedestrian bridge and cycleway in the lead-up to the 2000 Summer Olympics.[3]
In 2016, the local mayor and state opposition expressed concern about the deteriorating state of the bridge and called upon the state government to fund repairs and confirm their future plans for the bridge.
The bridge is one of twelve double lattice girder bridges that survive substantially intact in the NSW railway system. As such it is of exceptional heritage significance as evidence of a short lived but highly popular approach to bridge design in which the spanning girders were reinforced by a lattice of bars, adjusted to suit changing structural forces. This bridge is the largest double track lattice girder bridge to be prefabricated in England for export to Australia and has significant variations on the standardised design. The bridge is one of the most architecturally impressive nineteenth century Australian railway structures. A unity in design, lively detail, skilful use of materials and fine workmanship is displayed by the bridge and its abutments. The Meadowbank-Rhodes bridge is an exceptional piece of early Australian railway engineering.[4] [1]
It was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.[1]
The bridge received a Historic Engineering Marker from Engineers Australia as part of its Engineering Heritage Recognition Program.[5]