How work on Stockport’s £20m new bridge will hit rail passengers | Manchester News

No trains will call at Stockport station for three weeks when a £20m project to replace a bridge in the town centre begins next month

The West Coast Main Line will be closed from 2 August as part of the work by Network Rail.

It means no trains will run on the line between Manchester Piccadilly and Stoke-on-Trent via Macclesfield and Cheadle Hulme, the operator has said.

There will also be no train services on various other lines into Stockport.

Some rail services will be diverted and replacement buses will run between 2 and 22 August while the new bridge will be installed.

Lisa Magee, Avanti West Coast station manager at Stockport, said there would be no trains to or from Stockport for 21 days.

But she said the station’s ticket office and underpass “will be open as normal during the works and the Avanti West Coast team will be on hand to support those making journeys via rail replacement bus”.

Ms Magee said commuters should “plan ahead, leave extra time for their journeys, and check the National Rail website, as well as with their train operator for the latest updates”.

Stephen Rhodes, director of bus for Transport for Greater Manchester, said: “When the rail line is closed in August we’ll be accepting rail tickets on Bee Network buses in the area to help reduce the impact of the closure and make sure people can get where they need to be.”

Rail tickets will also be accepted on Metrolink tram services between Altrincham and Navigation Road.

Engineers and utility companies plan to divert services, such as water and electricity, from below the road and into a temporary bridge that was built in December.

This should ensure local residents will have access to utilities during the work in August.

The current bridge on Greek Street was built in 1958 and has “reached the end of its life”, Network Rail said.

Mr Rhodes said the replacement of the structure – under which about 400 passenger and 50 freight services pass daily – would “ensure the safety of road and rail users for generations to come”.

Two cranes will be used to replace the structure, which has about 200 concrete beams, with a new bridge that is expected to last about 120 years.

Normal railway services are expected to resume on the morning of the 23 August however the overall project is expected to be completed when the road is reinstated over the bridge in spring 2026.

The Greek Street roundabout will then reopen.