Which single-span footbridge crosses the most tracks?

hermit · 13 Dec 2023

Heritage England have today picked out some of the most notable structures added to the national heritage list this year. Among them, listed Grade 2, is the footbridge dating from 1889 at Hindley, Greater Manchester, which was built to span 9 tracks (of which, from the picture they provided, only 2 appear to remain).

What other footbridges would be contenders for crossing the most tracks in a single span? I believe one would be the ‘Railway Children’s Bridge’, crossing the South Eastern main line between Grove Park and Hither Green, which crosses 7 tracks apparently all still in use. The bridge forms part of the Capital Ring walking route around London.

Any other suggestions?

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Lemmy99uk · 13 Dec 2023

Looking at Google earth, it appears that the cycle bridge at Cambridge Station crosses 15 tracks.

I’m not certain if it’s single span but I’m sure someone will know.

pokemonsuper9 · 13 Dec 2023

hermit said:
Among them, listed Grade 2, is the footbridge dating from 1889 at Hindley, Greater Manchester, which was built to span 9 tracks (of which, from the picture they provided, only 2 appear to remain).

I can definitely confirm only 2 tracks remain, I wasn't aware there were ever 9 tracks there, I assumed it was the 4 the whole Atherton line used to be (with Hindley having 2 long closed platforms clearly visible).

Alfie1014 · 13 Dec 2023

Lemmy99uk said:
Looking at Google earth, it appears that the cycle bridge at Cambridge Station crosses 15 tracks.

I’m not certain if it’s single span but I’m sure someone will know.

It appears to have one support in the carriage sidings so the single span is over 12 tracks.

Magdalia · 13 Dec 2023

Lemmy99uk said:
Looking at Google earth, it appears that the cycle bridge at Cambridge Station crosses 15 tracks.

I’m not certain if it’s single span but I’m sure someone will know.

Alfie1014 said:
It appears to have one support in the carriage sidings so the single span is over 12 tracks.

I feel I should know this but I'm not sure. Unfortunately most of my views of the bridge are when cycling on it.

Definitely some of the carriage sidings are not under the main span and I tentatively agree that it is roads 7, 8 and 9.

yorksrob · 13 Dec 2023

The footbridge to the West of Tonbridge spans two yards and the Redhill line.

It appears to cross twenty tracks.

zwk500 · 13 Dec 2023

yorksrob said:
The footbridge to the West of Tonbridge spans two yards and the Redhill line.

It appears to cross twenty tracks.

But from pictures it appears to do so using many short spans.

GRALISTAIR · 13 Dec 2023

What about that one at the south end of Bolton station?

zwk500 · 13 Dec 2023

GRALISTAIR said:
What about that one at the south end of Bolton station?

Appears to have at least 3 intermediate piers such that any 1 span would have spanned no more than 4, maybe 5 tracks. At the moment it spans 3.

yorksrob said:
The footbridge to the West of Tonbridge spans two yards and the Redhill line.

It appears to cross twenty tracks.

No single span crosses mire than 4 tracks at once.

I suppose the question from the OP can be taken two ways - which footbridge consisting of only 1 span crosses the most tracks? Or, which individual span of any footbridge crosses the most tracks?

GRALISTAIR · 13 Dec 2023

zwk500 said:
Appears to have at least 3 intermediate piers such that any 1 span would have spanned no more than 4, maybe 5 tracks. At the moment it spans 3.
No single span crosses mire than 4 tracks at once.

Ahrr OK. thanks.

yorksrob · 13 Dec 2023

zwk500 said:
Appears to have at least 3 intermediate piers such that any 1 span would have spanned no more than 4, maybe 5 tracks. At the moment it spans 3.

No single span crosses mire than 4 tracks at once.

I suppose the question from the OP can be taken two ways - which footbridge consisting of only 1 span crosses the most tracks? Or, which individual span of any footbridge crosses the most tracks?

Ah sorry - didn't spot that bit.

Undiscovered · 13 Dec 2023

The Dana footbridge, Shrewsbury? Crosses 6 tracks. I'm pretty sure it's not attached to the station in the middle, which would create two spans of three.

duffield · 13 Dec 2023

Undiscovered said:
The Dana footbridge, Shrewsbury? Crosses 6 tracks. I'm pretty sure it's not attached to the station in the middle, which would create two spans of three.

From this Google street view you can see one clearcut support column which has got to be amongst the tracks, if you correlate it with the satellite view. No street view available from the other side, but anyhow it seems it doesn't cross all the tracks in one span.

P Binnersley · 14 Dec 2023

The foot/cycle bridge at Ashford International (near the Travelodge) spans 10/11 tracks depending on how you treat the point work.

Sunil_P · 14 Dec 2023

There's a big footbridge over Ilford depot.

Undiscovered · 14 Dec 2023

duffield said:
From this Google street view you can see one clearcut support column which has got to be amongst the tracks, if you correlate it with the satellite view. No street view available from the other side, but anyhow it seems it doesn't cross all the tracks in one span.

I think that support frames the Howard street landing area, which is beyond the tracks. I'll ask my tame TfW colleague to have a better look and confirm it later on.

moogal · 14 Dec 2023

If individual spans count, the one just to the west of Rugby station covers 7 tracks (and a reasonably large gap in the middle!) with its main span.

childwallblues · 20 Dec 2023

Southport?

plugwash · 20 Dec 2023

Using a combination of google sattelite view and bing birds eye view it looks like the footbridge near southport has multiple intermedite supports with no more than four tracks under any given span.

neill · 20 Dec 2023

Alfie1014 said:
It appears to have one support in the carriage sidings so the single span is over 12 tracks.

I took a look from the mill road bridge during the week and agree it is 12 tracks - there is a pillar before the last 3.

Kneedown · 20 Dec 2023

All I can think of off hand, is the footbridge at Crewe South Jct, which carries the walking route over the main lines to Crewe Carriage Sidings, that crosses five tracks in a single span.

William3000 · 22 Dec 2023

yorksrob said:
The footbridge to the West of Tonbridge spans two yards and the Redhill line.

It appears to cross twenty tracks.

This must be the winner!

yorksrob · 22 Dec 2023

William3000 said:
This must be the winner!

Alas, I misread the question as it's not a single span bridge.

Although even amongst non-single span bridges it must be up there !

zwk500 · 22 Dec 2023

yorksrob said:
Alas, I misread the question as it's not a single span bridge.

Although even amongst non-single span bridges it must be up there !

As a continuous structure it likely is! Might be worth it's own thread though, if there hasn't been one already.

childwallblues · 22 Dec 2023

plugwash said:
Using a combination of google sattelite view and bing birds eye view it looks like the footbridge near southport has multiple intermedite supports with no more than four tracks under any given span.

Thanks I did not realise that.

Eastern Farmer · 23 Dec 2023

The new footbridge at Werrington Junction, ECML, crosses 7 tracks in one span.

dosbod stuey · 25 Mar 2024

The bridge that links the Tees Barrage to Teesside Park spans something like 25 tracks!

D6975 · 25 Mar 2024

dosbod stuey said:
The bridge that links the Tees Barrage to Teesside Park spans something like 25 tracks!

That's not a footbridge, it's a road bridge.

Pinus contorta · 25 Mar 2024

Don't think its single span is it?

70014IronDuke · 25 Mar 2024

Almost certainly not the winner, but the footbridge at Faversham, which crosses the main lines and the former shed throat, used to appear mighty to a nipper in short trousers.

Which single-span footbridge crosses the most tracks?

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