West Philadelphia Elevated  The West Philadelphia Elevated, also known as the High Line or Philadelphia High Line, is a railroad viaduct in the western part of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The structure spans the railway lines of 30th Street Station, parallel to the main track of the station, in a north-south direction. The long approach made of brick arches is the longest brick bridge and probably even the longest brick building in the United States. The viaduct was built in 1903 by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) and is now part of the Harrisburg Subdivision of CSX Transportation. At the turn of the century, the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) carried out a number of upgrades on its route network. These were aimed at improving the handling of freight traffic, so that passenger and freight trains could be run on separate lines as much as possible. In the metropolitan area of Philadelphia, the route of the Northeast Corridor around Broad Street Station proved to be a bottleneck. The terminus station was located on the east side of the Schuylkill River and was connected via a wye on the west side of the river to the main line running there. In the area of these tracks there were also a railroad yard, various industrial plants, and from 1903, the West Philadelphia Station for through north-south trains. (West Philadelphia Station was replaced by 30th Street Station in 1933.) Connections to other railroad lines were nearby. On the north side, these included the Philadelphia to Harrisburg Main Line to Harrisburg, the entrance to the 37th Street Yard, and the Junction Railroad connection to the PRR competitor Reading. On the south side, these included the line to West Chester and the connection to the Port of Philadelphia in the south of the city. With the West Philadelphia Elevated, two through tracks for freight traffic in north-south direction could be carried over these railway facilities. This would allow freight trains coming from New York City or Harrisburg to travel south to Baltimore and Washington, DC without stopping. Likewise, the Junction Railroad and the entrance to the port were connected to the viaduct. The construction was approved on December 24, 1902 by the city administration. The construction work was completed by the end of 1904. The viaduct extends over a total length of in the north-south direction and can be reached at both ends via railroad embankments. It makes a gentle left turn, which is required by the layout of the tracks around 30th Street Station around and ultimately by the Schuylkill itself.