Network Rail and its contractor Murphy are just days away from completing the main phase of a £20m project to overhaul Greek Street bridge over the West Coast Main Line in Stockport.

A 21-day suspension of all trains for the massive civil engineering project ends this weekend.

Over the last two weeks teams have successfully dismantled and removed 200 beams from the old structure, and lifted and positioned beams for its replacement over five railway lines.

Latest video footage shows how, piece by piece, the large steel and concrete beams were driven by special police escort from a storage site at Trafford Park and craned into position in a carefully choreographed sequence over a four-day period.

Lifted by two huge cranes, with a combined capacity of 1,300 tonnes, the new bridge parts were inched into position across a 60m gap above the tracks, in the place where the former structure was standing for 67 years.

Around 100 engineers per day are working around the clock to rebuild the Greek Street bridge.

When complete it will mean more reliable journeys for passenger and freight traffic on the railway below – and for road users above – as normally it carries a four-way roundabout.

William Brandon, Network Rail’s project manager, said: “The work at Greek Street has been planned meticulously, and its great to see it all come together on site as we expected. I’m so grateful to everyone working so hard on the project.”

Stephen Harnett, Murphy project manager, added: “It’s immensely rewarding to complete this core milestone of the project. The effort put in by our team has been nothing short of amazing as they work around the clock to upgrade and return this critical piece of infrastructure to the local community.”

The original bridge, which was constructed in 1958 is being be replaced with a modern structure which will last for up to 120 years.

The effects of the closure have been far-reaching because of the critical location of the bridge.

During the closure, there are no train services on the line between Stoke-on-Trent and Manchester Piccadilly, and no train services on other lines into Stockport. Where possible, services are being diverted around Stockport.

With tracks clear of most train traffic along approximately 50 miles of the West Coast Main Line between Staffordshire and Stockport, it provides a perfect opportunity for Network Rail and its contractors to access the railway for dozens of additional railway upgrades.

The railway will reopen on the morning of 23 August 2025.