Alte Niederräder Brücke, Steel railway bridge in Frankfurt, Germany.
The Alte Niederräder Brücke is a steel structure crossing the Main River and connecting the Gutleutviertel and Niederrad districts. The bridge carries rail traffic while also providing a pedestrian walkway along its western edge.
The bridge was built between 1880 and 1882 and later completely renewed from 1925 to 1928 with reinforced pillars and a new steel truss structure. It survived World War Two and was back in service by January 1946, while many other Main River bridges remained destroyed.
The bridge's name only became "Alte" (old) after a second railway bridge, the Neue Niederräder Brücke, was built alongside it between 1976 and 1979 for S-Bahn services toward Frankfurt Airport and Mainz. The western footbridge ended the Niederrad residents' dependence on a ferry to Griesheim or long detours to the next crossing.
The bridge can be explored on foot using the western pedestrian path, which offers views of the river and cityscape. Access for walkers is possible from both riverbanks, particularly from Niederrad Station.
The bridge is a bottleneck: its single pair of tracks carries traffic from five rail axes from the north and three from the south into Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof. A third Niederräder bridge is planned, after which this bridge is to be demolished and rebuilt by 2031.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,240 contributors worldwide.