Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has called for Stockport and Tameside residents to share their views on restoring regular rail services at Denton and South Reddish stations.
TfGM is currently preparing the official business case for reopening the line for regular services following a government grant as part of the Restoring Rail initiative that was awarded last year. Currently a so-called Parliamentary Service has since 1992 run weekly on the route from Stockport to Stalybridge to avoid costs associated with a formal closure of the line.
However, TfGM is considering a number of options to restore the line for regular use given sufficient interest from the local community to use the line following the successful funding bid led by TfGM and Stockport Council with the backing of Tameside Council and local MPs, Navendu Mishra, Andrew Gwynne and Angela Rayner.
TfGM is proposing a regular passenger connection between either Stockport and Manchester Victoria or Stockport and Stalybridge, serving Denton and South Reddish stations.
An alternative proposal for the line being considered would connect Stockport station with Rose Hill Marple, including the construction of a railway chord in the Reddish Vale Country Park area. This route would provide a new direct rail link between the town centre and stations on the eastern side of the borough. The original funding proposal also included plans for the line to be converted to extend tram services into Stockport town centre from Ashton-under-Lyne, with two new stations at Audenshaw and Heaton Norris; however, this is not being considered in the current surveys.
Two online surveys are now live, being carried out by Stantec UK Ltd on behalf of TfGM, for each of the two route options:
Surveys are open to anyone, but will be most relevant to those living in the SK5, SK6 and M34 postcode areas where affected stations are located.
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