Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge. Historical illustration of a train crossing the Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge. Built in 1855, this was the world's first railway suspension bridge. It spanned 251 metres across the Niagara river and connected the USA to Canada. It consisted of two decks, with train using the upper deck and pedestrians and vehicles on the lower deck. Image from Histoire de la locomotion terrestre, by Charles Dollfus and Edgar de Geoffroy, France, 1935.