The ambitious £20 million overhaul of the 67-year-old Greek Street railway bridge in Stockport has reached a major milestone. In just the first week of the project, the original bridge—spanning the West Coast Main Line and supporting a key town roundabout—was successfully dismantled.
Network Rail is ten days into a carefully coordinated 21-day railway closure, allowing engineers to execute the massive civil engineering works safely and efficiently. On-site, around 100 workers have been operating around the clock to remove the aging infrastructure and prepare the location for installation of a modern replacement.
During this phase, 200 reinforced concrete beams were precisely cut and removed by contractor Murphy Group. Using two cranes with a combined lifting capacity of 1,300 tonnes, the heavy bridge elements were lowered to the ground and hauled away by a fleet of 67 HGVs, making way for the new construction.
With a 60-metre void now separating the two sides of the railway, preparations are underway to install the new bridge. Comprising 51 pre-fabricated components, the structure will be assembled on-site and hoisted into place by crawler cranes with a maximum height of 196 metres, symbolising both engineering precision and logistical coordination.
To showcase the scale and complexity of this transformative project, Network Rail has released dramatic footage capturing the first week of work. The video highlights the teamwork, machinery, and technical prowess behind one of the region’s most significant transport upgrades.
William Brandon, Network Rail’s project manager, said: “After years of planning it is fantastic to see the work at Greek Street get off to such a good start. The team on site are doing a great job, and I’m really looking forward to seeing the new bridge installed within the next two weeks.
“Once the railway reopens, journeys for passengers will be safer and more reliable for the next 120 years. This truly is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to improve the West Coast Main Line for future generations.
“I’m very grateful to passengers and the Stockport community for their patience during this essential work. I’d advise everyone to continue to plan their journeys carefully on the National Rail Enquiries website. We’ve done everything we can to create the best possible alternative travel plan.”
Stephen Harnett, Murphy’s project manager, said: “At Murphy our aim is to improve life by delivering world-class infrastructure, so we are proud to be delivering this critical work with Network Rail. The project is a real team effort and we are all united in our commitment to improving the transportation network for the local community and the wider North West. We look forward to seeing the new bridge in use again very soon.”
Lisa Magee, Avanti West Coast station manager at Stockport, said: “It’s great to see the work to Greek Street bridge is progressing nicely, as the project reaches this latest milestone. We’d like to thank our customers for their continued patience and understanding while the West Coast Main Line is closed and remind those who are making journeys up to and including 22 August to plan ahead, check the National Rail website before travelling, and leave plenty of time.”
Originally built in 1958, Stockport’s ageing Greek Street railway bridge is being replaced by a modern structure designed to stand strong for up to 120 years. As part of this ambitious £20 million infrastructure upgrade, its removal has triggered a wide-reaching impact on train services across Greater Manchester and beyond.
Due to the strategic location of the bridge, a temporary rail closure has been enacted, suspending services between Stoke-on-Trent and Manchester Piccadilly and halting routes into Stockport. Where feasible, some trains have been diverted around the affected area to help reduce disruption for passengers.
With train traffic paused along roughly 50 miles of the West Coast Main Line from Staffordshire to Stockport, Network Rail and its contractors now have rare, uninterrupted access to carry out essential railway upgrades. This window of opportunity is being used to deliver dozens of improvement works alongside the headline bridge replacement—modernising the region’s transport backbone for generations to come.
Image & video credits: Network Rail
