Trade was further enhanced by the arrival of the railways. The Axholme Joint Railway opened on 2 January 1905, linking Crowle to in the north and in the south, where there was an interchange with the Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Railway. A major feature of the railway was Crowle Swing Bridge, which carried it over the Stainforth and Keadby Canal. Construction involved moving of earth to form the embankments on either side of the main span. The opening section of the bridge was built by the Cleveland Bridge and Engineering Company, who were based in Darlington. The northern approach, on the Crowle side of the canal, included three brick arches, crossing a minor road and a drainage ditch, a girder bridge which carried the line over the to line of the Great Central Railway, and a further brick arch.