Monday 24 Feb 2025
Abseiling engineers restore iconic Stockport Viaduct
- Region & Route:
- North West & Central
- | North West & Central: North West
In the early hours of Sunday 23 February 7 railway workers* abseiled down the side of the Grade II* listed Stockport Viaduct as part of a £1.1m revamp.
Built in 1840, the viaduct carries almost 400** trains every day between the West Coast Main Line and Manchester Piccadilly.
Last year, Network Rail started the project to remove overgrowing vegetation, clean away graffiti and carry out extensive repairs to the viaduct’s 11 million bricks. Now, all of the viaduct’s 26 spans have received the VIP treatment.
Overnight, the team has used rope access equipment to go over the top of the viaduct’s piers and carry out important work to restore the viaduct.
Drone footage and body-worn cameras show the viaduct landmark from a whole new perspective.
Michael Lally, Network Rail Works Delivery manager, said: “The team have done a fantastic job this week carrying out important repairs to the viaduct arches that cross the M60 in Stockport.
“This is the final stage of the project, which started last year. The recent work means the overall appearance of the viaduct is much improved, but it also reduces the risk of damage caused by overgrown vegetation and graffiti.
“Managing plant growth on viaducts such as this is important in maintaining train performance as trees and shrubs can obscure signals and interfere with the overhead lines that power trains.”
To carry out this work safely, from Monday 17 February – Sunday 2 March 2025 the M60 is closed between J27 and J1 in both directions. For 13 nights, the road under the viaduct will close at 10pm and open at 6am.
The work to restore this railway piece of heritage, comes as 2025’s Railway 200 celebrations are underway, a year-long programme of activities and events to celebrate 200 years of the modern railway.
Network Rail is also informing the people of Stockport about work to replace the Greek Street bridge which takes cars over the West Coast Main Line between Edgeley and Stockport town centre.
Residents and passengers are advised to visit www.networkrail.co.uk/greekstreet to stay informed of the project.
Notes to Editors
*In total 20 railway workers were working overnight at the viaduct.
*Around 398 trains run over the viaduct every day.
2025 is the 200th anniversary of the birth of the modern railway. Railway 200 will be a year-long nationwide partnership-led campaign to celebrate rail’s remarkable past, its role today and its importance to a sustainable future. Find out how you can get involved or about events happening near you at www.railway200.co.uk
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We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.
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