Ruhrbrücke Steele, Railway and truss bridge in Steele district, Essen, Germany

Ruhrbrücke Steele is a railway bridge with steel truss construction that crosses the Ruhr River between the districts of Steele and Überruhr. The structure combines a steel truss section for train traffic with a sandstone arch section that serves as flood protection.

The bridge was built in 1863 and replaced a ferry connection that previously linked the two banks. It was created as part of the Prince Wilhelm Railway expansion to support raw material transport and the region's growing industrial development.

The bridge carries the name of the former Prinz-Wilhelm-Eisenbahn line, whose trains crossed here from 1 June 1863. Until 1978 trains from Wuppertal had to reverse at Steele Ost; the elevated connecting curve to Essen-Steele West opened on 1 February 1978. Since late 2003 the S9 has run over it, joined by the RE 49 at the end of 2019.

The bridge is used today by S9 commuter trains and the RE 49 regional express that regularly connect Essen with surrounding municipalities. Pedestrians and cyclists can see the structure from the side but must use other routes to cross the river.

The flood bridge originally had eight sandstone arches; in 1890 a floating crane torn loose in a flood wedged into the two northern arches, which were badly damaged and replaced by the steel spans still in place, leaving six stone arches. The river bridge itself was blown up by the Wehrmacht on 8 April 1945 and rebuilt after the war as a single-track steel truss bridge resting on the eastern side of the old piers, so a second track was never restored.