Flinders Street Viaduct

The Flinders Street Viaduct is a railway bridge in Melbourne, Australia. Made up of six tracks of varying ages, it links Flinders Street Station to Southern Cross Station and forms the main link between the eastern and western parts of the Victorian rail network.

The viaduct takes a twisted path, passing behind the former Victorian Railways headquarters at 67 Spencer Street, taking a sharp 90 degree turn east from Spencer Street, swinging southward around the back of the former Fish Market (now Northbank Place and Rebecca Walk) beside Batman Park, then north-east to avoid the swinging basin on the Yarra River, then crossing over the Banana Alley Vaults before entering Flinders Street.

The first railway in Melbourne was opened in 1854 and ran from what is now Flinders Street, to Sandridge (now Port Melbourne) and was later known as the Port Melbourne line. Railways continued to be built from Flinders Street, and the adjacent Princes Bridge station. At the same time, a number of country railways had been built to the west of Melbourne, and used Spencer Street station (now Southern Cross) as the terminus.

Many residents saw the Spencer Street terminal as undesirable and inconvenient, as it was at the edge of the then city, and as early as 1861 a deputation of residents called on the Railway Commissioner to improve matters. It was not until 1879 that the Melbourne Railway Station Junctions Act was passed, which authorised a ground level connection. Three quarters of a mile long, it was classified as a tramway and had limits on the operational speeds, noise and motive power used. In addition, it could only be used at night, and had a level crossing with Queensbridge Street.

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