We’re gearing up for the most ambitious phase of our £20m Greek Street bridge and roundabout replacement project in Stockport.
We’ll demolish and then rebuild the bridge over 21 days starting next month in a once-in-a-lifetime project. We need to do this vital work to give road and rail users a safer, stronger and future-proofed bridge.
A first-of-its-kind operation
The Greek Street bridge takes a roundabout over the West Coast Main Line – the railway line that runs north from London Euston. It may not seem like it but the Greek Street roundabout is actually a bridge.
Between 2 August and 22 August, engineers will work around the clock to remove the ageing two-span bridge and install a new single-span structure. We must close the railway here during this time.
The 21-day blockade is a unique feature of the scheme that we’ve never before attempted at this scale in Stockport. It allows us to safely and efficiently carry out complex tasks that would otherwise take months.
As well as the £20m investment to replace the bridge, we’re using the rare railway closure to carry out an extra £23m of improvements to the West Coast Main Line between Stafford and Stockport.
Engineering at scale
The bridge project is complex and huge – more than 2,500 engineers will work at the site, with over 100 staff on shift each day.
It will involve:
- replacing 181 bridge beams across the 60 metres by 27 metres bridge
- removing and then reinstalling over 1,000 metres of overhead lines that power electric trains
- laying 1,800m² of protective decking over the railway track
- four cranes to demolish and replace the bridge
- 220 wagons to move materials around the site
- over 500 hours of work.
Future-proofed and safer
We’ve designed the new bridge to last a further 120 years with an upgraded layout that makes it safer for everyone passing through. We’ve switched the style of the bridge from a two-span to a single-span structure that is simpler to maintain and makes it more resilient in the long term.
Managing disruption
William Brandon, a project manager at Network Rail, said: “The work to strengthen Stockport is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make train journeys on the Manchester spur of the West Coast Main Line safer and more reliable.
“I understand that closing the railway through Stockport for 21 days will be inconvenient to our passengers, and I am sorry about this.”
There will be no train services on the line between Stoke-on-Trent and Manchester Piccadilly via Macclesfield and Cheadle Hulme between 2 August and 22 August. There will be no train services on other lines into Stockport, such as Altrincham.
Where possible, services are being diverted around Stockport. We strongly urge you to check your journeys in advance on the National Rail website.
The Greek Street roundabout and surrounding roads will remain closed during this time and up to Spring 2026. You can find diversionary route maps here.
Businesses in the Edgeley District Centre remain open. Please visit them as usual.
