Lansdowne Bridge crosses the Indus between Bukkur Island and Rohri, opposite Sukkur, and when it opened on 25 March 1889 it was the longest cantilever bridge ever built. It carried trains until 1962 and is now a road bridge used by more than 30,000 cars, motorbikes and buses a day. Heavy lorries are barred because of its age. The steel Ayub railway arch stands about a hundred feet away, so the two are seen and photographed together.
This guide covers how the bridge came to be built, the engineering, the Ayub Bridge beside it, what is changing in 2026, and where to stand for the best view.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Opened | 25 March 1889 |
| Designer | Sir Alexander Meadows Rendel |
| Main span | About 790 ft: two 310 ft cantilevers and a 200 ft suspended span |
| Use today | Road traffic only; heavy vehicles barred |
| Neighbour | Ayub Bridge (railway), opened 6 May 1962 |
| Entry | Free; it is a working road bridge |
| Time needed | 30 minutes to an hour from the riverbank |
| Nearest station | Rohri Junction, a little over 1 km from the Rohri end |
Why a bridge was needed here
At Sukkur the Indus squeezes through a gap in a low range of limestone hills, and Bukkur Island splits it into two channels, one on the Sukkur side and one on the Rohri side. That makes it the best crossing point for a long way in either direction.
The Indus Valley State Railway reached Sukkur in 1879. For the next ten years trains stopped at the river and wagons were taken across to Rohri by steam ferry, eight at a time. It was slow, and it left a break in the line between the granary of Punjab and the port of Karachi. A bridge also gave the railway easier access between Sindh and Balochistan.
The hard part was the Rohri channel. Its bed is silt rather than rock, so a pier in the middle was out of the question, and the river floods violently for half the year. Between 1872 and 1882 five designs were proposed and rejected before Rendel's cantilever plan was accepted.
How it was built
Rendel's design used two anchored cantilevers, each 310 feet long, carrying a 200-foot span suspended between them. The 3,300 tons of girder work were made in London by Westwood, Baillie and Co., and the bridge was first put together in the contractor's yard, where its 170-foot cantilevers became a sight in their own right. The steel began arriving at Sukkur and Rohri in 1887.
Erection was supervised by F. E. Robertson and Hecquet, with local contractors Malik Abdul Karim and Malik Abdul Raheem. Derricks 230 feet long had to lean out over the water, and 86-ton tie girders were assembled 180 feet above the river. The plan to build the centre span on boats failed because of the floods, so Robertson built a temporary staging instead, and the permanent 200-foot span was erected and riveted in four and a half days, without pneumatic or electric tools.
Six men died during the work: four fell and two were struck by falling tools. The bridge cost Rs 2,696,000, of which Rs 276,000 went on the foundations.
The opening in 1889
The bridge was named after the Viceroy, Lord Lansdowne, but opened by Lord Reay, Governor of Bombay, on his behalf. Because Sukkur gets hot early in the year, the ceremony was held in the early morning. Lord Reay unlocked an ornamental padlock on the iron entrance gates, designed by John Lockwood Kipling, Principal of the Mayo School of Art in Lahore and father of Rudyard Kipling. The guests walked across and then had breakfast under a shamiana.
Sukkur also has a popular story about the bridge. It says the Sindhi folk song Ho Jamalo was composed for Jamal Sheedi, a condemned prisoner who drove the first test train across and was pardoned. Treat it as legend; our guide to Ho Jamalo covers the song and the dance.
The Ayub Bridge beside it
For 73 years Lansdowne Bridge carried both the railway and everything else: trains ran down the centre, and pedestrians and cyclists used wooden walkways along either side. To separate them, the Ayub Bridge was built alongside. Work started on 26 November 1959, the foundation stone was laid on 9 December 1960, and President Ayub Khan opened it on 6 May 1962.
It is a steel arch about 806 feet long and 247 feet high, built for about Rs 21.6 million. The consulting engineer was David B. Steinman of New York, the contractor was Dorman Long, and the chief engineer was M. S. Ghazi of Pakistan Western Railway. When it opened it was the third-longest railway arch span in the world and the first railway bridge to hang its deck from coiled wire-rope suspenders. Trains still use it today.
Lansdowne Bridge today
The old bridge is now the main road link between Sukkur and Rohri. A Sindh government study reported in March 2026 found more than 30,000 vehicles using it every day, and lorries heading for the N-5 and the M-5 motorway are barred because of its age. The resulting jams and ambulance delays led the Sindh Chief Minister to approve a new multi-lane Sukkur-Rohri bridge, about 1.5 km long and north of Bukkur Island, as a public-private partnership project (The News, March 2026). The reports gave no construction date.
Expect slow traffic at rush hour. With that volume of traffic the deck is no place to stop for photographs, so look at the bridge from the riverbank instead.
Where to see and photograph it
- The Sukkur riverbank facing Rohri gives the side-on view of both bridges with the river beneath.
- The Rohri end, near Rohri Junction station, gets you close to the ironwork and the arch together.
- The hillside at Satyan jo Aastan gives a higher view over the river and bridges.
- The boat to Sadhu Bela, the island temple about a kilometre downstream, gives a low view up the river towards the bridges; our Sadhu Bela guide covers the crossing.
- Early morning and late afternoon give softer light and are far more comfortable than midday from April to September.
Sukkur Barrage, about 4 km downstream, has long been the other classic viewpoint, but in March 2026 the Sindh government said it was closed to public movement for maintenance until at least 2027. Check before planning around it.
Getting there and fitting it in
Sukkur is about 478 km by road from Karachi; our Karachi to Sukkur guide covers the options, and from the north the M-5 Multan-Sukkur motorway is the fast route. Rohri Junction, on the main railway line, is the closest station to the bridge. In town, the riverbank is a short rickshaw ride from the city centre.
The bridges take an hour at most. Pair them with Bukkur Island, Sadhu Bela and Masoom Shah Minar for a full morning; our list of places to visit in Sukkur has the rest.
Is it safe to visit Sukkur?
Sukkur is in Sindh north of Nawabshah, where the UK government's Pakistan travel advice (updated 22 September 2026) advises against all but essential travel. Pakistani travellers stop here throughout the year, and the bridges are in a busy, central part of the city. Overseas visitors should check their own government's advice, since it can affect travel insurance, and everyone should check local news before setting out. Our guide to whether Sukkur is safe has more.
Frequently asked questions
Is Lansdowne Bridge still in use?
Yes, as a road bridge. It carried trains from 1889 to 1962 and now takes cars, motorbikes and public transport; heavy lorries are not allowed on it.
Why is it called Lansdowne Bridge?
It is named after Lord Lansdowne, Viceroy of India when it opened in 1889. Lord Reay, Governor of Bombay, performed the opening on his behalf.
What is the difference between Lansdowne Bridge and Ayub Bridge?
Lansdowne Bridge is an 1889 cantilever bridge that now carries road traffic. Ayub Bridge, opened in 1962 about a hundred feet away, is a steel arch that carries the railway.
Is there an entry fee for Lansdowne Bridge?
No. It is a public road bridge with no ticket or opening hours.
Is a new bridge being built in Sukkur?
In March 2026 the Sindh government approved a new 1.5 km Sukkur-Rohri bridge north of Bukkur Island to take heavy traffic. The reports gave no construction date.
How many people died building Lansdowne Bridge?
Six: four fell from the structure and two were hit by falling tools.
