Macclesfield Railway Station will be brought to a halt this summer.

There will be no train services on the West Coast Main Line between Stoke-on-Trent and Manchester Piccadilly for three weeks in August.

It comes as work gets underway on a £20 million investment in the Greek Street bridge in Stockport.

The 67-year-old bridge will be demolished and rebuilt over 21 days between August 2 and 22.

Rail replacement buses will be in operation throughout the closure, with passengers urged to plan ahead.

William Brandon, Network Rail's project manager, said: "The work to strengthen Stockport is a once in a lifetime opportunity to make train journeys on the Manchester spur of the West Coast Main Line safer and more reliable.

"I understand that closing the railway through Stockport for 21 days will be inconvenient to our passengers, and I am sorry about this.

"Between August 2 and the morning of August 23, I'd advise passengers to plan ahead and allow extra travel time for their journey.

"We have worked closely with train operators, Transport for Greater Manchester and Stockport Council on the best alternative travel plan possible for a closure of this size.

"I'd advise you to check your specific journey on National Rail Enquiries website to understand exactly how your services will be affected."

The Manchester spur of the West Coast Main Line will be brought to a halt this August (Credit: Network Rail)

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

In March 2025, the Greek Street roundabout, that sits on top of the structure, was closed to traffic.

Since then, Murphy, the contractor working on behalf of Network Rail, has been preparing the site for its big moment this summer.

Engineers have been working closely with utility companies to safely divert important services, such as water and electricity, out from below the road service and into a temporary bridge.

In the weeks preceding the closure, the team will complete the utility diversions and deconstruct the road layer of the bridge. Once the bridge is ready to be replaced, two large cranes will be built on site ready to demolish and replace the bridge.

Stephen Rhodes, Transport for Greater Manchester's director of bus, said: "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." 

The line will reopen on August 23 (Credit: Network Rail)

During the closure, the journey from Macclesfield to Manchester Piccadilly will take around one hour and ten minutes.

Passengers will have to travel via a rail replacement bus, changing at either Stockport or Wilmslow.

For those heading south, there will be a direct rail replacement bus service to Stoke-on-Trent, taking 49 minutes.

Cheshire railway stations impacted by closure

• Adlington (Cheshire)
• Alderley Edge
• Congleton
• Handforth
• Macclesfield
• Poynton
• Prestbury
• Warrington Central
• Wilmslow