The railway line will close again for a weekend in October
The huge project in Stockport(Image: Network Rail)
Transport bosses and Network Rail have moved to reveal what comes next after the installation of a £20m bridge over a major railway line this summer.
The Greek Street bridge over the West Coast Main Line, a key interchange between Stockport town centre, Shaw Heath and Edgeley in Stockport, was replaced during a 21-day closure of the railway in August.
The new bridge structure is made up of 10 concrete cills, 22 steel beams, six concrete beams and 13 parapet wall sections. Built in 1958, Network Rail said the old bridge had reached the end of its life.
The railway line through Stockport opened again late last month after the phase of the project was completed, but there’s more to come.
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Details on the next steps for the project this autumn and winter were revealed by Network Rail on Thursday ahead of the roundabout on top of the bridge opening in spring 2026. Further railway closures are expected over coming months, Network Rail said.
On Saturday, October 4 and Sunday, October 5, the railway will close through Stockport to allow the project team to continue work underneath the new bridge.
The first trains running again(Image: Network Rail)
Engineers will be removing a now redundant wall in the centre of the tracks and starting work to reinstate the road and walls on the roundabout.
Passengers travelling between Stoke-on-Trent and Manchester are now being advised to plan their journeys on the first weekend of October. Rail replacement buses will be running.
William Brandon, Network Rail’s project manager, said: “I am immensely proud of the team, who worked so hard to deliver this once-in-a-lifetime project over the summer. I am very grateful to the local community and passengers for their ongoing patience and understanding during the work.
Work will continue(Image: Network Rail)
“Though the reconstruction of the bridge is complete, there is still more work to do. To safely install parts of the new roundabout, we need to close the railway again for two days. After that, we will begin to work with utility companies to redivert their services though the bridge, before relaying the road ready for people to use again.”
Lisa Magee, Avanti West Coast station manager at Stockport, thanked commuters for their patience.
“To enable the next phase of the Greek Street bridge project to be completed, the West Coast Main Line through Stockport will be closed again for two days, so those making journeys on 4 or 5 October are strongly advised to plan ahead, check the National Rail website before travelling, and leave plenty of time,” she said.
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The project saw 200 old concrete beams on the former 67-year-old structure removed using two giant crawler cranes with a combined capacity of 1,300 tonnes. New bridge parts were inched into position across a 60 metre gap above the tracks, and a concrete deck poured on top.
Edgeley, said the council, would be ‘very much open for business’ during the ongoing works.
Following the weekend work in October, the railway through Stockport will remain open until Christmas Day and Boxing Day.