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Tuesday 29 Jul 2025

Irish trial assemblies complete as huge railway bridge sets sail for Stockport

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Huge concrete components which will form a new £20m railway bridge and roundabout in Stockport are now travelling over the Irish sea ready for the project’s main construction phase in just 4 days’ time.

Network Rail and engineers from its contractor Murphy are gearing up for a meticulously planned three-week window during which Greek Street bridge is dismantled and rebuilt from this Saturday (2 August).

It will see a rare railway closure of a 50-mile stretch of the West Coast Main Line for 21 days until the morning of Saturday 23 August while the large-scale civil engineering project takes place.

Rail passengers planning journeys across Staffordshire, Cheshire and Greater Manchester are being reminded to check www.nationalrail.co.uk with diversions and rail replacement buses in operation throughout the essential upgrade*.

Ahead of the significant railway closure, behind the scenes footage has been released today (Tuesday 29 July) showing how the components for the bridge have been made and tested over recent months at a huge manufacturing site in Ireland**.

Drone footage of a specially sequenced trial assembly was filmed as part of dress rehearsals to make sure installation in Stockport goes smoothly.

With all the trial assemblies complete, the bridge components are now being transported on the back of 40 lorries and low-loaders, travelling by ferry from Dublin to Liverpool and then by road to Greater Manchester.

Some of the bridge sections are being stored near Trafford Park, while others will arrive straight to site in special convoys ready to be immediately craned into position.

Construction involves large cranes and careful choreography to tight timescales, so the learning from the tests in Ireland has been vital.

William Brandon, Network Rail scheme project manager, said: “After years of planning we’re excited that this weekend all our preparations will be put into action, so we can successfully rebuild Greek Street railway bridge and improve both the road and rail network for the future for both road users and passengers.

“Once again I’d urge people to check National Rail Enquiries if planning to travel between 2-23 August while the railway through Stockport is totally closed so we can safely carry out our major railway bridge upgrade.”

Paul Williams, Murphy senior engineering manager, said: “Completing the construction ‘dress rehearsal’ enabled us to fully test our installation methodology prior to installing the new Greek Street bridge for real. As a result of this test, we changed the sequence in which we’ll crane the sections into position in order to maximise the efficiency of our works during the closure.

"We look forward to completing these upgrades and improving transport links across the area.”

As well as the £20m investment to replace Greek Street railway bridge, Network Rail is using the rare railway closure between Saturday 2 and Saturday 23 August to carry out an additional £23m of further improvements to the West Coast Main Line between Stafford and Stockport***.

As that will see significant changes to journeys for rail passengers over a large geography, people are strongly advised to check National Rail Enquiries to plan their individual journeys.

Network Rail has worked extremely closely with train operators, Transport for Greater Manchester and Stockport Council on travel alternatives so people can get to where they need to be during the three-week railway closure.

Lisa Magee, Avanti West Coast station manager at Stockport, said: “While there’ll be no trains to or from Stockport for 21 days, the station’s ticket office and underpass will be open as normal during this period and the Avanti West Coast team will be on hand to support those making journeys via rail replacement bus.

“We’d like to thank customers for their patience and understanding while this major work takes place. We strongly advise customers to 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, TfGM’s director of bus, said: “The replacement of the Greek Street bridge is a once in a lifetime moment to ensure the safety of road and rail users for generations to come. 

“With a project of this scale there will always be disruption and by working closely with our partners we are looking to minimise this as much as we can and keep everyone on the move.

 “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.” 

Cllr Mark Roberts, Leader of Stockport Council, said: “We’re now approaching a major milestone in the Greek Street Bridge project with the upcoming rail closure, and I want to thank residents and businesses for their continued patience and resilience. We know it hasn’t been easy, but the way people have responded to the disruption so far really shows the strength of our community.

"Network Rail are making real progress, and we all want to reiterate that Edgeley and wider Stockport is open for business. We’ll continue to work closely with and support our local residents and businesses every step of the way as Network Rail delivers the improvements Stockport needs.”

During the recent site visit to the manufacturing facility, 35 miles north-east of Dublin, Network Rail project engineers also saw the street facing sides to the bridge under construction, including where the replica of the much-admired Edgeley Station mosaic will be recreated.

Once the new railway bridge is in, and the West Coast Main Line reopens, work will then move to the reconstruction of Greek Street roundabout and relaying of surrounding roads.

This work will continue until early 2026. For more details on the Greek Street project please visit www.networkrail.co.uk/greekstreet.