Cornelius Vanderbilt knew what he wanted and what he did not want. He wanted a link across the Niagara River between his Michigan Central Railway in New York and the Canadian Southern Railway, which he controlled. What he did not want was to pay rent to the owners of the Second Suspension Bridge. So he decided to build a railway bridge of his own, just to the south of the suspension bridge. In this design, 142 foot (40m) towers were built on the banks of the river and sections of the bridge were built out from the towers until they met at the centre. The bridge was opened on December 6, 1883 when the first train crossed. This bridge lasted for forty years.

By 1924, railway traffic had increased and the cantilever bridge had to be replaced. The design was for an arch bridge similar to the Whirlpool Rapids Bridge but without the road deck. It was opened February 21, 1925. This bridge is still operating and today is owned by the Canadian Pacific Railway. The cantilever bridge was dismantled and sold for scrap after the arch bridge was opened.