Barrow rail bridge, (or the Barrow viaduct), is a pratt truss type of railway bridge that spans the river Barrow between

County Kilkenny County Kilkenny () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is named after the City status in Ir ...

and

County Wexford County Wexford () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. Named after the town of Wexford, it was ba ...

in the south east of

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. This rural landmark with a length of is the longest bridge on the river. It was second longest bridge in

and the third longest rail bridge in the

British Isles The British Isles are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner Hebrides, Inner and Outer Hebr ...

. Designed by Sir Benjamin Baker and built by the firm of Sir William Arrol. It is known locally as ''Barrow Bridge''. Part of a development to improve cross-channel passenger services. The steel truss single track bridge was built between 1902 and 1906 by English and Irish railway companies, it operated passenger services between Rosslare Harbour and

Waterford Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...

until 2010. It is maintained by

Iarnród Éireann Iarnród Éireann, () or Irish Rail, is the operator of the national Rail transport in Ireland, railway network of Ireland. Established on 2 February 1987, it is a subsidiary of CIÉ, Córas Iompair Éireann (CIÉ). It operates all internal I ...

, the Irish rail operator. This bridge is one of six rail bridges of 45 bridges on the Barrow. It spans the river just upstream from its confluence with another of the three sisters the River Suir. Close to Great Island Power Station near Cheekpoint. It is the last bridge on the river Barrow and opens approximately twice daily to permit shipping and yachts to pass upstream to New Ross. In 2021, reports in local media suggested the bridge would be permanently opened to shipping. This proposal was later reversed. After a collision with a ship in February 2022, Irish Rail announced plans to pin the bridge open in December 2022 to perform repair works. In May 2024, the repair project on the bridge was confirmed as part of a capital investment plan in the South East region.

History

It is an important element of the early 20th century transport heritage of Kilkenny and Wexford. Built as a joint venture between the Fishguard and Rosslare Railways and Harbours Company (FRR + H Co) and the

Great Southern and Western Railway The Great Southern and Western Railway (GS&WR) was an Irish gauge () railway company in Ireland from 1844 until 1924. The grew by building lines and making a series of takeovers, until in the late 19th and early 20th centuries it was the larges ...

and

Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a History of rail transport in Great Britain, British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, ...

. The bridge forms part of the Limerick-Rosslare railway line, which was extended in 1906 to improve cross-channel passenger services from Rosslare Strand to Waterford. After the Tay Bridge and Forth Bridge it was the third longest rail bridge in Britain and Ireland.

Design

This elegant and pragmatic bridge represents a striking rural landmark on the River Barrow. Designed by the consulting engineer to the Rosslare & Waterford Railway, Sir Benjamin Baker. Baker had been responsible, with Sir John Fowler, for the design of the Forth Rail Bridge, and had designed the Keady viaduct and Tassagh viaduct. The steel bridge was supplied and built by the building contractor Sir William Arrol ''Sir William Arrol and Co.''. The Glaswegian firm were engineers and bridge builders, of Dalmarnock, Scotland. Arrol had also worked on the Forth Rail Bridge. The track used 87lb bullhead rail. The timber sleepers were "laid in 45-foot lengths". The signalling system was Electric Train Staff (ETS) with lower quadrant semaphore signals. This single track was the longest railway bridge in Ireland at a length of .

Description

This bridge is one of six rail bridges crossing the Barrow and is one of 45 bridges on the river. On the rail line there is a short tunnel on the Kilkenny side. It stands above the high water mark, Each of its 13 main spans of are supported on twin cast iron piers. The third span from the Kilkenny side can be electrically pivoted open from a cabin atop the span to allow ships to pass through. The end spans are . In 2014 it was listed by An Taisce in its "''Buildings at Risk Register''". An Taisce records "''The structure does not appear to be maintained and there are obvious signs of deterioration.''" and that "''a conservation management plan should be applied to it, to help preserve our rail heritage''".

References

Footnotes

Sources

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External links

* * {{cite web, title=Barrow Bridge, GREAT ISLAND, WEXFORD, url=http://www.buildingsofireland.ie/niah/search.jsp?type=record&county=KK®no=15703910, website=buildingsofireland.ie Railway bridges in the Republic of Ireland Buildings and structures in County Wexford Bridges in County Kilkenny