'Chaos' - Greater Manchester drivers and train users warned of massive disruption lasting 12 months

Stockport’s Greek Street bridge will be closed for an entire year from March 2025, with Greek Street, Mercian Way and Shaw Heath roads out of operation during Network Rail works to replace the structure running over the railway line. The work is set to cause misery for motorists, with diversions in place for the duration of the work.

Rail closures will be required during Easter, summer, and autumn 2025, with replacement bus services proposed to maintain access for passengers affected by the closures. Around 400 passenger and 50 freight train services pass under the 58-metre-long bridge on the busy West Coast Main Line every day.

Network Rail said the work is “critical” for safety after it found that the 1958 bridge has reached the end of its life, with the work set to cost around £16 million in total. The bridge structure, which is made of about 200 concrete beams, will be demolished along with the road above it, then rebuilt. The new bridge will make sure train services along the West Coast Main Line will be ‘safer and more reliable for years to come’.

Temporary lane closures on Mercian Way and Shaw Heath road south are set to begin as soon as next month, when utilities and pre-construction works get started, Stockport council confirmed. Lanes will close from 9pm to 7am on Saturday, November 30, Saturday, December 7, Saturday, December 14, Saturday, December 21

A full road closure on Mercian Way and Shaw Heath road’s northern side will be in place on Christmas Day for 24 hours. Temporary traffic management and diversion routes will be in operation for the duration of the pre-construction works.

Stockport railway station closures

There will be line closures into Stockport station and stations on affected railway lines passing through the area to allow construction activities to take place, the council said. Christmas engineering works are taking place on December 25 and 26 when no trains will pass through the station, affecting anyone planning to travel by train during the festive season and Boxing Day.

Services due to be back up and running as normal from 4am on December 27. Stockport railway station is also set to close for around twenty days in August 2025. Network Rail said the station building may remain open so people can use the underpass to cross the town centre while the work is taking place. Railway disruption is also expected during Easter, summer, and autumn next year.

A Network Rail spokesperson said: “Network Rail and Stockport council are committed to working with the community and local partners to minimise disruption for them. We’ll soon be inviting the community to an information event where they can ask questions and find out more about the project. This work is critical to the safety of the West Coast Main Line and the Stockport community.

“Stockport council, Transport for Greater Manchester and our train operating partners are working with us to make sure that the best diversionary routes and alternative travel options are offered to the public throughout the work.”

Ready for ‘chaos’ in central Stockport

Coun Matt Wynne said the plans will cause “chaos” in central Stockport neighbourhoods as drivers could pile through the streets of Edgeley to make their way across the town. The area is home to Stockport County Football Club and is close to Stockport Pyramid, where there are plans to convert the building into a huge curry house with space for around 1,500 guests.

“In terms of the knock on effect it’s going to be massive, so many people use [the armoury roundabout] to get to the M60, to town, to Stockport,” he said.

Without trains running in Stockport for 20 days in August 2025, Mr Wynne said the town will be “knocked back to Victorian times” while the work takes place. He added: “For us it’s about how do we stop Edgeley becoming the biggest rat race in Greater Manchester. It’s going to be chaos, there are already issues with traffic.”

Coun Grace Baynham, Stockport council’s transport lead, said: “The council has been working closely with our partners at Network Rail in preparation for the delivery of this major set of safety works. We have prepared a response to the potential disruption caused by the removal of this major junction in the town centre, and we’re preparing a series of major key diversionary traffic routes.

“We intend to keep members of the public up to date throughout the construction process, and will monitor any ongoing disruption, responding accordingly where required. Throughout the construction process, the council is committed to ensuring that Edgeley remains open for residents and businesses.”