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Field guides / Sindh / Lansdowne Bridge
Field guide · Heritage
An 1889 cantilever bridge of red steel latticework between Sukkur and Rohri, built to carry the railway across the Indus and still framed by its brick approach turrets.
Lansdowne Bridge spans the Indus between Sukkur and Rohri in a lattice of red-painted steel, opened in 1889 to carry the railway across a river that had until then broken the line. Its cantilever design was among the boldest of its day, and although a newer bridge now takes the heavier traffic, the original still stands beside it, framed at each end by crenellated brick approach towers.
Why go
Before the bridge, the railway simply stopped at the river. The cantilever solution let engineers throw a single clear span across the main channel without piers in the fastest water, an approach that made it one of the most ambitious bridges of its generation.
A short walk from the Sadh Belo boat landing, use Plan a trip to combine both in a half day at Sukkur.
Planning tip
Best Time to Visit, October to March. Early morning and late afternoon give the best light on the ironwork.
Getting there, At the Sukkur-Rohri crossing, walkable from central Sukkur.
Allow, 45 minutes to an hour, including the walk out for a view of the span.
Straight-line distance from Lansdowne Bridge, within 30 km.
