Longport Footbridge Reopens as £1.4m Upgrade Continues

Longport station’s footbridge has reopened to passengers and local residents, despite upgrade work still ongoing. The structure, which provides a key pedestrian link over the West Coast Main Line, has been undergoing a £1.4 million refurbishment since last summer by Network Rail and its contractor, Story.

The project has taken longer than originally planned due to delays in the manufacture of essential components. As a result, a temporary diversionary walking route between the station’s two platforms has remained in place for several months.

From today (13 February), the footbridge is once again available for use, restoring the direct route across the station and removing the need for the diversion that has been in place since last year. Engineers have prioritised reopening the crossing to ease the inconvenience experienced by passengers during the extended works.

Although the bridge is now open, the wider scheme is not yet complete. Over the coming months, teams will install newly manufactured steelwork to the sides of the bridge, along with balustrades and parapets. The bridge is expected to remain accessible throughout the remainder of the programme unless additional safety or construction requirements arise. Train services at Longport station are unaffected.

Patrick Vallely, Network Rail head of buildings and civils, said:

“We’re pleased to reopen the footbridge at Longport today so passengers can once again use it while we complete the remaining upgrade work. Our work in partnership with Story Contracting to complete the project is continuing as we strive to get the project finished as soon as possible. I'd like to thank people for their patience and for bearing with us while we've been working hard to overcome challenges in the project over recent months.”

Image: Network Rail