A three-week programme of engineering work will bring significant disruption to train services through Stone, Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent this August, with rail replacement buses in operation and journey times affected.
When and where
From Saturday 2nd August to Saturday 23rd August 2025, multiple infrastructure projects will impact services across the North Staffordshire route:
- The line between Manchester and Stockport will be closed due to a major bridge replacement at Greek Street.
- In Stone, level crossings will be upgraded and rails will be replaced.
- Some Saturday services may still run through Stone, but most routes between Stafford, Stoke and Manchester will face disruption.
Travellers using Stone Station should note that no trains will run Monday to Friday during the works, and many weekend services are affected too.
Rail replacement arrangements
To keep passengers moving, rail replacement buses will operate:
- From Granville Square (near Christchurch Way) in Stone to Stafford.
- From Crown Street in Stone to Stoke-on-Trent Station.
National Rail advises passengers to check routes and timetables carefully before travelling and allow extra time for their journey.
While the replacement bus services will help keep passengers moving, journey times are significantly longer. Our initial checks show that a typical bus journey from Stone to either Stoke or Stafford takes around 40 minutes, compared to the usual 10-minute trip by train. Travellers should factor this into their plans, especially if connecting to further services.
Journey planners and updates are available at nationalrail.co.uk.
Why the disruption?
The work is part of an ambitious package of improvements across the West Coast Main Line and surrounding connections. The Greek Street Bridge replacement in Stockport is a complex civil engineering project, requiring the full closure of that route for 22 days. Network Rail is coordinating this with level crossing and track upgrades in Stone to make best use of the downtime.
Plan ahead
Regular train users, including commuters and those heading off on holidays by rail, are urged to:
- Check before they travel.
- Be aware of earlier last trains and amended routes.
- Look out for signage at affected stations, including the hand-posted updates from the North Staffs Rail Promotion Group.
The advice is simple: if you’re taking a train trip in August, you need to know about this.
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