Back in August, no trains ran through Stockport railway station for 21 days, and now passengers are being advised of a full railway closure through Stockport once again over the first weekend in October, as work continues on a major £20m bridge renewal over the West Coast Main Line.
When will the railways be closed at Stockport?
Network Rail will be closing the railway on Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 October 2025 to allow the project team to continue their work underneath the new Greek Street bridge.
Following the weekend work in October, the railway through Stockport will remain open until Christmas Day and Boxing Day, where engineers will make the most of the closed railway to carry out more work to the bridge.
What does the work entail?
Construction teams will be removing the now redundant wall in the centre of the tracks and starting work to reinstate the road and walls on the roundabout which sits on top of the bridge. Network Rail and its contractor partner Murphy replaced the Greek Street bridge during a 21-day closure of the railway in August.
It 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. Replacing the huge structure is vital to keep road users and trains moving safely – with the modern structure’s lifespan at an estimated 120 years.
When will the Greek Street roundabout reopen?
Once utility services are diverted back from their temporary scaffold bridge into the new structure, the road can be relayed, and the roundabout will reopen in spring.
Alternative transport
Passengers travelling between Stoke-on-Trent and Manchester are advised to plan their journey, as there will be rail replacement buses in operation.
During the closure on Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 October, ticket acceptance will be in place on the following Bee Network bus services:
- 11
- 42C
- 192
- 368
- 370
- 371
- 378
Passengers can also use Metrolink services between Altrincham/Navigation Road and Manchester city centre with valid rail tickets. Rail replacement buses will also be running to help keep people moving.
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.
“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.”