August railway closure to enable £23 million investment between Stoke and Stockport

With the railway through Stockport set to close for three weeks in August to allow the Greek Street Bridge to be replaced, Network Rail is outlining the benefits for passengers of other work that can take place along the route while the line is closed.

The £20 million demolition and replacement of Greek Street roundabout over the railway south of Stockport station will bring trains through the area to a halt. With tracks clear of most train traffic along approximately 50 miles of the West Coast Main Line between Staffordshire and Stockport, Network Rail engineers and contractors will be able to access the railway for dozens of other upgrades.

The largest of these schemes, representing a combined and additional £23 million investment, are:

• Strengthening and waterproofing River Trent Viaduct in Stone
• Work to upgrade the power supply to overhead lines in Stockport
• Track renewals in Stone, Hixon and Congleton
• Railway point replacement in Macclesfield
• Platform work at Poynton station
• Railway drainage upgraded at Trentham
• A new footbridge at Longport station

Alongside the main worksites, scores more smaller but equally important maintenance activities will also be taking place, including upgrades to signal boxes and level crossings. Carrying out all this work into a single three-week closure reduces the overall disruption to passengers and freight who would otherwise be disrupted by frequent weekend or overnight working, while improving cost efficiencies of work.

The closure is also taking place during the school summer holidays when the railways are typically quieter. Replacement bus services and trains using diversionary routes will ensure those who do need to travel will be kept on the move.

Anyone planning travel between 2 and 23 August is urged to plan their journey carefully, particularly as there will no services North of Stoke-on-Trent to Manchester for the duration of the closure.

Christian Irwin OBE, Network Rail’s North West and Central region Capital Delivery director, said:

“We know that any railway closure means changes to people’s travel plans, so we’ve worked hard to make sure we carry out as many improvement projects as efficiently and effectively as possible during this rare three-week window when routes in and around Stockport are closed.

“When combined all of these upgrades will greatly improve the future reliability for passenger and freight trains on the West Coast Main Line for years to come. During the significant improvements, we’re advising people to plan ahead and remember to check before they travel by using National Rail Enquiries.”