AGY-1897 | Sydney Harbour and City Transit Branch (1912-1913) Metropolitan Railway Construction Branch (1913-1916)

Full description

Sydney Harbour and City Transit Branch was established to provide greater facilities and improve methods of dealing with the heavy and rapidly increasing traffic of the City of Sydney.  A major project was to consider connecting the northern and southern shores of the harbour. (1)

John Job Crew Bradfield was appointed the first Engineer in Charge of the Sydney Harbour and City Transit Branch on 1 July 1912. (2) The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works accepted Bradfield's design for a cantilever bridge to span the Harbour in 1913. (3)

On 17 February 1913 the Sydney Harbour and City Transit Branch was renamed the Metropolitan Railway Construction Branch, (4) and J.J.C. Bradfield assumed the position of Chief Engineer, Metropolitan Railway Construction. (5) The purpose of the renamed branch was to be responsible for the development and co-ordination of the design of the harbour crossing, involving all major aspects of the engineering work, and to co-ordinate it with the system of metropolitan electric railways. (6)

The Government Railways (Amendment) Act, 1916, which came into operation of 1 January 1917, transferred the responsibility of railway construction to the Railway Commissioners. (7)

Planning for the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge appears to have ceased at this stage, and did not resume until about 1921.

Footnotes and References:
(1) Public Works Department Annual Report for 30 June 1912, p.11.
(2) NRS 12534.
(3) Australian Biographical Dictionary.
(4) New South Wales Government Gazette, 1913 p.1192.
(5) Op. cit.
(6) NSW State Records ref: [4/7588].
(7) NRS 12914.