Admire the brickwork. This is the Wentworth Park Viaduct. It’s more than just a bridge. The Wentworth Park Viaduct is a testament to Sydney’s evolving story.
The Glebe and Wentworth Park railway viaducts comprise two heritage-listed railway bridges. These arch viaducts carry the Inner West Light Rail. They run across Wentworth Park, Jubilee Park, and Johnstons Creek. These viaducts are located in the inner western Sydney suburb of Glebe.
Designed by the New South Wales Government Railways, the Wentworth Park Viaduct was built from 1892 to 1922. Locals also call it Jubilee Park Viaduct and Glebe Viaducts. On 2 April 1999, the viaducts were added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register.
Initially, the Wentworth Park Viaduct carried the Rozelle–Darling Harbour Goods Line. In 1996, it was converted for use by the Inner West Light Rail. That was when the line was electrified.
By 1900, Sydney’s metropolitan railway network was congested. Suburban and country passenger services conflicted with freight train movements. Segregated running periods and special timetables were short-term solutions. They didn’t address the differing traffic requirements.
The decision was made to build a separate rail system for freight trains. This allowed them to move independently of passenger services. The freight lines linked into the four main lines. These were north, west, south, and Illawarra. A large marshalling yard was built at Enfield. It centralized the interchange of freight traffic.
The completion of the goods line was associated with the Sydney Harbour Trust’s completion of the Pyrmont wharves. The wharves had rail lines running along them. The goods line provided a continuous loop connection. It ran through Central station Yard, Darling Harbour Yard, and the Pyrmont wharves. There were connections to Rozelle Yard, White Bay, and Glebe Island. Sydney Harbour was the main port for NSW. The goods line provided a direct connection. It linked rural Australia with ships carrying goods to export markets. Imported goods were back-loaded onto the empty trains for distribution. Work began around 1910. The goods line from Rozelle to Darling Harbour opened on 23 January 1922.
Brick arch underbridges were built in two periods. The first was in 1892. This was for the duplication of the Main Southern railway line. The second was from 1914 to 1922. The State Brickworks at Homebush supplied bricks. The construction of the Jubilee Park and Wentworth Park viaducts was the first large-scale project to use these bricks. Approximately 3.4 million bricks were used. Timber piles were driven into the ground. This shored up the structures. Both parks had been created on land resumed from swamps and sandflats.
Conversion to light rail included new stations and infrastructure. Overhead catenary systems were installed. These carried the electric wiring. Nearly all the underbridges are still in use. They include brick arches, steel girders, and steel trusses.
The Wentworth Park viaduct consists of a curved brick arch viaduct. It has 11 spans of 10.97 meters. It also has 10 spans of 11.58 meters. The viaduct is estimated to contain 1.4 million bricks. It stretches approximately 274 meters across the park. It is the second-longest brick viaduct in the NSW system. The Jubilee Park viaduct is the longest.
The Wentworth Park Viaduct has state significance. It is an excellent example of large-scale brick arch bridge construction. It is an integral part of the parklands. It remains an important landmark along the Glebe foreshore. The structure is a major engineering work. It is historically significant. It was an important element in the development of the Darling Harbour Goods Line. It was one of the first major infrastructure projects to use bricks from the State Brickworks at Homebush.