Railway bridge components set sail for Stockport

The concrete components that will form the new £20 million replacement Greek Street Bridge over the railway line in Stockport town centre have set sail across the Irish Sea ahead of construction beginning 2nd August.

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. 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.

Ahead of the significant railway closure, behind the scenes footage has revealed 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.

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.

Paul Williams, Murphy senior engineering manager, explained:

“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.”

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.”

Rail passengers planning journeys across Staffordshire, Cheshire and Greater Manchester are being reminded to check the National Rail website for details of diversions and rail replacement buses in operation throughout the work.

As well as the £20 million 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 £23 million of further improvements to the West Coast Main Line through Staffordshire and Cheshire.

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.”