{{about|the railway bridge in Staines-upon-Thames|the road bridge|Staines Bridge}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2017}} {{Use British English|date=August 2017}} {{Infobox Bridge |bridge_name= Staines Railway Bridge |image=Staines Railway Bridge Over The Thames.jpg |caption= Staines Railway Bridge from the north-west |official_name= |carries= Waterloo to Reading line |crosses= River Thames |locale= Staines-upon-Thames, Surrey |maint= Network Rail |id= |designer= John Gardner |design= |material= Cast iron and wrought iron |spans = 3 |pierswater = 2 |mainspan= |length= |width= |height= |clearance_below= {{cvt|6.4|m}}<ref name=EA_2023>{{cite web |title= River Thames: distances and measurements for boaters |date= 21 February 2023 |orig-date= 12 February 2020 |publisher= Environment Agency |url= https://www.gov.uk/guidance/river-thames-distances-and-measurements-for-boaters#bridge-heights |access-date= 16 December 2023 }}</ref> |traffic= |open= 1856 |coordinates = {{coord|51.4306|-0.5112|region:GB|format=dms|display=inline,title}} }}
'''Staines Railway Bridge''' is a railway viaduct in Staines-upon-Thames, Surrey, around {{convert|17.25|mi|km|adj=ri0|0|abbr=off}} west of central London. It carries the Waterloo to Reading line across the Thames. Immediately to the east is Thames Street bridge, which carries the railway over the B376 and the Thames Path.
==Description== Staines Railway Bridge carries the two tracks of the electrified Waterloo to Reading line across the River Thames in Surrey, South East England.<ref>{{cite book |last= Lunn |first= Geoff |year= 2022 |title= Thames Crossings through Time |publisher= Amberley Publishing |location= Stroud |isbn= 978-1-39-810576-8 |page= 46 }}</ref> The bridge is {{cvt|35|mi|3|furlong|km}} upstream of London Bridge<ref>{{cite book |last= Woodgate |first= Walter Bradford |year= 1889 |title= Boating |publisher= Longmans, Green and Company |location= London |page= 309 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=dIICAAAAYAAJ&dq=staines+railway+bridge+iron+thames&pg=PA309 |access-date= 16 December 2023 }}</ref> and has a total length of {{cvt|279|ft|8|in|m|order=flip|1}}. It is built of wrought iron girders supported on six cast iron pillars, embedded in the river bed.<ref name=Humber_1861>{{cite book |last= Humber |first= William |year= 1861 |title= A complete treatise on cast and wrought iron bridge construction |volume= I |publisher= E. & F. N. Spon |location= London |pages= 178–179 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=rfBCXZIp6ocC&dq=staines+railway+bridge+iron+thames&pg=PA178 |access-date= 16 December 2023 }}</ref>
The central span is {{cvt|88|ft|6|in|m|order=flip|0}} and the two adjacent spans are {{cvt|85|ft|3|in|m|order=flip|0}}. There are four brick flood arches on the southern bank, each with a span of {{cvt|25|ft|m|order=flip|1}}.<ref name=Davenport_2006>{{cite book |last= Davenport |first= Neil |year= 2006 |title= Thames Bridges from Dartford to the Source |publisher= Silver Link |location= Kettering |isbn= 978-1-85-794229-3 |page= 106 }}</ref><ref name=Phillips_1981>{{cite book |last= Phillips |first= Geoffrey |year= 1981 |title= Thames Crossings: Bridges, Tunnels, and Ferries |publisher= David & Charles |location= Newton Abbot |isbn= 978-0-71-538202-8 |url= https://archive.org/details/thamescrossingsb0000phil/mode/2up |access-date= 1 July 2025 |url-access= registration |pages= 139–140 }}</ref> The clearance below the bridge for river traffic is {{cvt|6.4|m}}.<ref name=EA_2023/>
==History== thumb|right|Staines Railway Bridge from upstream The Staines, Wokingham and Woking Railway Act 1853 (16 & 17 Vict. c. lxxxv) authorised the Staines, Wokingham and Woking railway (SWWR) to build a line between {{rws|Staines}} and {{rws|Wokingham}} railway stations.<ref name=Davenport_2006/> Staines Railway Bridge was designed by John Gardner and was built by Cochrane & Co at a total cost of around £10,000.<ref name=Humber_1861/><ref name=Phillips_1981/> The bridge was completed in 1856, and the first part of the railway line, between Staines and {{rws|Ascot|Berkshire}}, opened on 6 July that year.<ref name=Davenport_2006/> The SWWR merged with the London and South Western Railway in 1878.<ref>{{cite book |last= Maryfield |first= Pamela |year= 2006 |title= Staines : A history |location= Chichester |publisher= Phillimore |page= 98 |isbn= 978-1-86-077420-1}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last= Mills |first= John |year= 1993 |title= A guide to the industrial history of Spelthorne |publisher= Surrey Industrial History Group |location= Guildford |page= 4 |isbn= 978-0-95-096976-3 }}</ref> The main bridge girders were strengthened in 1915,<ref name=Davenport_2006/> and the line across the viaduct was electrified in 1937.<ref>{{cite book |last1= Mitchell |first1= Vic |last2= Smith |first2= Keith |year=1989 |title= Branch lines around Ascot : from Ash Vale, Weybridge, Staines and Wokingham|location= Midhurst |publisher= Middleton |at= Introduction |isbn= 978-0-90-652064-2}}</ref>
During the Second World War, the line was used to transport supplies to Portsmouth Naval Base and the bridge was guarded by a dedicated army platoon of around 25 soldiers.<ref>{{cite news |last= Deedes |first= F.W. |author-link= Bill Deedes |date= 3 September 1999 |title= We seem to have started - it's all so silly |work= Daily Telegraph |issue= 44856 |page= 15 }}</ref> In 1995, a yellow stripe was painted onto each side of the viaduct in a £15,000 experimental project to prevent swans from flying into it.<ref>{{cite news |title= A paint job for swans |date= 12 October 1995 |work= Staines and Ashford News |page= 1}}</ref>
==Thames Street bridge== The adjacent Thames Street bridge, which carries the railway over the B376 and the Thames Path, was named in 2021 as one of the country's ten railway bridges most likely to be struck by vehicles.<ref>{{cite news |last= Evans |first= Alec |date= 29 November 2021 |title= Surrey railway bridge named as one of Britain 's most-hit by vehicles |work= Surrey Live |url= https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/surrey-railway-bridge-named-one-22277856 |access-date= 16 December 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last= Strudwick |first= Matt |date= 16 February 2023 |title= Notorious Staines bridge recently named among most-hit struck by lorry again |work= Surrey Live |url= https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/notorious-staines-bridge-recently-named-26253496 |access-date= 16 December 2023 }}</ref>
==See also== {{commons category-inline||Staines Railway Bridge}} * Staines Bridge upstream of the railway bridge * Crossings of the River Thames
==References== {{Reflist}} {{River item box}}
Category:Bridges across the River Thames Category:Railway bridges in Surrey Category:Bridges completed in 1856 Category:Staines-upon-Thames