Championing community connection
For over a century, the railway corridor has served as Sydney’s industrial heart. Today, it remains a physical barrier keeping neighbours apart. We are working to deliver a bridge that connects communities in the suburbs on both sides of the Eveleigh railway corridor.
Residents
Businesses
Daily Cyclists
Annual Visitors
About the Alliance
The Eveleigh Bridge Alliance was formed by the Alexandria Residents Action Group, Friends of Erskineville and REDWatch to bring together local groups, businesses, institutions and individuals to support action for a bridge.
Our vision is to create a vital pedestrian and cycling bridge across the railway corridor, transforming the surrounding suburbs into a unified, accessible, and thriving neighbourhood.
This bridge would improve connections for many people that live and work in Darlington, Newtown, Camperdown, Chippendale, Alexandria, Erskineville and Waterloo.
Support for the Bridge
There has been strong support for an Eveleigh Bridge over many years here you can find out more about support for the bridge and the campaign.
The former Eveleigh Railway Workshops were once the most technologically advanced industrial sites in the Southern Hemisphere.
In 2004, the NSW Government promised a bridge to connect these precincts. Two decades later, the community is still waiting. As the area becomes more densely populated, the need to reinstate this connection has never been more urgent.
In 2025, local resident groups (Alexandria Residents Action Group, Friends of Erskineville, and REDWatch) joined forces to form the Eveleigh Bridge Alliance.
We believe heritage is about more than just old buildings—it’s about the people and the connections between them. A bridge will not only honor the site’s history of movement but also unlock the future of our neighborhood.
The Great Divide
The rail corridor between Redfern and Erskineville creates a 3.5-kilometre physical barrier it is a 46-minute walk to walk around the barrier which cuts off neighbors from one another and making simple trips a major chore.
Reconnecting Our Suburbs
The railway separates two distinct hubs of Sydney life. A bridge would finally link:
Over 1.2km of active rail infrastructure cuts through the heart of Eveleigh, forcing lengthy detours around the 3.5 km perimeter and limiting access to schools, parks, and services.
Residents, workers, students and visitors face daily inconvenience. Local businesses on both sides suffer from reduced foot traffic and economic isolation. The Southern Concourse only cut 5 minutes off the trip.
Our community is expanding rapidly with thousands more people to join our footpaths. The development of the Paint Shop, Clothing Store , Explorer Street, and Waterloo were the beginning of Urbangrowth’s vision.
The impact on your daily life is measurable. For example, moving between Carriageworks and the Large Erecting Shop:
Major cycle paths surround the Eveleigh divide with cyclists having to take major detours. A 2006 City of Sydney Bike Plan showed the network gap (in red) across Eveleigh. A connection between Wilson St and Henderson Road could be delivered by a new bridge.
Our Mission
The government’s renewal plans reserve space for a bridge but provide no plan to build it. The Eveleigh Bridge Alliance is fighting to turn that “reserved space” into a reality. We are advocating for a safe, modern pedestrian and cycle link that honors the 2004 promise.
Pedestrian & Cycling Access
Community Connection
Economic Growth
Generational Legacy
| The Barrier | Current Reality | With the Bridge |
Walk Time (Carriageworks to South Eveleigh) Walk Time Darlington Public School student to Alexandria Park Community High School Walk Time Sydney Uni Business School to Commonwealth Bank South Eveleigh | 16 Minutes 28 minutes 680m | < 5 Minutes <22 Minutes / 19 min 1,400 m |
| Full Barrier Length | 3.5 Kilometres | Reconnected (Barrier is reduced but there is still 2.3 km from Carriageworks to the LES via Macdonald town so not sure how to put this |
| Night Access | Add 5 minutes to walk time when Redfern Station Southern Concourse is closed. | 24/7 Connectivity |
| Car Dependency | High (due to detours) | Low (Active travel focus) |
We are working alongside government, local organisations, and the community to make this a reality.
The Proposed Bridge
A Government Information (GIPA) request on behalf of Eveleigh Bridge Alliance received feasibility studies between 2020 and 2025 relating to potential pedestrian and cycle connections across the Eveleigh railway corridor. A June 2025 “North to South Eveleigh Active Transport Link Public transport Projects- Optioneering Review (v3)” evaluated a number of Eveleigh bridge and tunnel options and concluded Option 4 (shown above) was the preferred option. It connects between Carriageworks and The Paintshop at North Eveleigh with between the Large Erecting Shop and the Locomotive Workshop at South Eveleigh. The study further concluded that a Steel Truss Launch Sequence could be used to build the bridge. You can see more about the GIPA documents here.
While there is a preferred location, Transport for NSW is concerned that the potential usage does not justify the cost of building the bridge and are not progressing the project at this time. The Eveleigh Bridge Alliance is working to build the usage case and to address some technical issues like overcoming the height and lack of cycle ramping at South Eveleigh. The Alliance is looking to build support for the bridge and to get it built.
Eveleigh at a Glance
Carriageworks, Paint Shop, Chief Mechanical Engineers Building, The Clothing Store and the Platform Apartments
Locomotive Workshops, The Large Erecting Shop, The Foundry, Axle, Cicara Innovations and the Works Managers Office
Arts, Culture, Eveleigh Markets & High-Density Housing
Tech Hub, Innovation, & Global Business
400,000+ per year to Carriageworks
20,000+ workers daily
Sydney University with 8,000 staff and almost 70,000 students, Darlington Public School and Eora TAFE
Alexandria Park Community School. Alexandria Park, Waterloo Metro, PACT Theatre
Old Carriageworks building, its Blacksmith Shop and Paint Shops, Fan of Tracks, Chief Mechanical Engineers Building, Scientific services and Clothing Store buildings
Working Blacksmith Shop and Machinery Collections and level two heritage exploration area (Bays 1 & 2) as well as heritage interpretation on Locomotive Workshop, New Loco and the Works Manager Office
Restricted by heavy rail corridor
Restricted by heavy rail corridor
Experience the Divide
To truly understand the need for the bridge, we encourage you to walk the perimeter of the railway corridor via Redfern, Macdonaldtown and Erskineville railway crossings. It does not matter where you start just walk one way until you have walked the 3.5 km perimeter. You will quickly see why a direct connection is essential for our community but you will also see many items of interest you might not have seen before.
The above map shows how you might walk from where the Clothing Store Precinct meets Pines Estate in Newtown heading to and from where the bridge would land in South Eveleigh. It sets out the walking track around the site
We hope to hold a guided tour around the site in the future so let us know if you are interested.
Include links to social media
FAQ
Have a question about the bridge project? We’ll be adding answers here as the campaign develops. In the meantime, get in touch.
The area has shifted from a closed industrial site with internal connections to a dense residential and commercial suburb. With 20,000 workers on the South side, cultural visitors and students on the North side and thousands of new residents moving into North Eveleigh and Explorer Street, the current “detour” around the rail lines is no longer sustainable for a walkable city.
Yes. In 2004, the NSW Premier promised a bridge to link the precincts as part of the areas redevelopment. While the land around it is being redeveloped and sold, the vital link connecting the two communities was never built.
Join our email list by joining the Alliance, share information about the campaign and attend community meetings. You can contact us directly with your ideas or to volunteer on the campaign. Every voice counts.
The Eveleigh Bridge Alliance advocates for a design that respects the NSW Heritage Register listing. There are some heritage issues that will need to be addressed in the final design such as relocation of the Carriageworks Traverser during construction and its reinstatement and interpretation. While the bridge will have some impact on site lines it can also enhance heritage appreciation by allowing people to better view, access and appreciate the former Eveleigh Railway Workshops as a whole with its “stories of innovation” told in the Blacksmith shops and Locomotive and Carriage workshops on both sides.
By making walking and cycling the fastest way to get across Eveleigh, we reduce the number of short car trips, easing congestion on busy roads like Henderson Road and Wilson Street. For example some people drive from Alexandria to Eveleigh Markets at Carriageworks when with a bridge they can walk. On the other side children get driven to PACT, scouts or school.
Currently, when the Redfern Station Southern Concourse closes, the walk around the barrier becomes 5 minutes longer via Lawson Street. A dedicated bridge would provide a safe, well-lit, 24/7 route for the community.
Yes. The renewal plan for North Eveleigh’s Paint Shop precinct has have already identified and reserved a location for the bridge. In 2025 Transport for NSW assessed options and determined a preferred location and build method for the bridge. They proposed a bridge from between Carriageworks and the Paint Shop in the north to between the Large Erecting Shop and the Locomotive Workshops to the South. We just need the commitment and funding to build it.
The Eveleigh Bridge Alliance was formed by f the Alexandria Residents Action Group (ARAG), Friends of Erskineville, and REDWatch,to bring together institutions, businesses and the surrounding community in a campaign to deliver the Eveleigh Bridge.
Help us create a bridge that connects communities, improves access, and supports the future of North Eveleigh. Whether you’re a local resident, organisation, or supporter, we’d love to hear from you and grow the Alliance together.
