Start teased for Cheadle station
Beginning work in the next year on the long-awaited project is among the aspirations set out in a draft 16-year transport strategy document for Stockport.
Stockport councillors will next week be asked to sign off progress towards consultation of the “Draft Stockport Transport Strategy 2026- 2042” plan.
The document has been informed by and is intended to work in tandem with Stockport’s local plan, on which the ball was set rolling last autumn, as the local authority looks to set out frameworks for its future growth.
Introducing the document to members, officers said that while there is no specific requirement to progress its own transport plan, the feeling is that the borough will be better served by a Stockport-specific plan, rather than sitting within the Greater Manchester-wide transport strategy.
Funding was approved for the Cheadle station, on the Mid-Cheshire Line, in 2022, and planning permission given a year later.
The document sets out how the council hopes for work to start in the next year, also spelling out the aspirations for three further new stations. One could be at Stanley Green, which would support housing growth ambitions around Heald Green, one at High Lane, and one at Adswood – although this would be dependent on tram-trains becoming a reality in GM.
Aspirations are mapped out for Stockport station itself, with the wish-list including a new main eastern concourse, a new entrance on the western (Edgeley) side, a new footbridge and refurbished platform buildings.
Improvements on access are required across a number of stations, said the report, with the next two Stockport stations in line for improvements in GM’s drive towards step-free access being at Woodsmoor and Davenport, where detailed design work is taking place.
One of the issues the council’s team is looking to address is that of connectivity into Stockport town centre itself. Of 19 railway stations across the borough, only seven offer direct links into the town’s mainline railway station, while services from all but one can take passengers directly into Manchester Piccadilly with regular services.
Of longer-term thinking, much is of course dependent on various factors, such as the progress of a Pathfinder project into tram-trains that could support rapid transit between the town centre and under-served areas.
Stockport’s communities & transport scrutiny committee will consider the draft plan at its meeting on Monday 8 June.
The Station not arriving at Cheadle is delayed
By Fat Controller
Slow news day?
By D. Ull
25 years on from the SEMMMS strategy which promised metrolink, new stations and a whole lot more, this is just more wishful thinking that’ll mostly never get delivered.
By Anonymous
Not a huge surprise that the Stockport Lib Dems’ first priority is Cheadle, or that they don’t want to play nice with the rest of GM.
Although when nothing happens, they can then blame whoever is GM Mayor by that point, the Government, and/or everyone else for it.
By Anonymous
Surely it’s not rocket science to introduce a free shuttle service bus between the station and interchange. It would have helped if the walkway actually came out next to the Station rather than near McDonald’s
By Anonymous
At least I’ll be able to go to Lidl. What a waste of time living in Cheadle.
By Peter
@Anonymous (June 03, 2026 at 3:26 pm)
Not rocket science, no, but also not cheap. There used to be a town centre shuttle funded by the big Tescos at Portwood for a few years after it opened – the shuttle stopped when the funding stopped.
And, yes, it would’ve been helpful if the walkway came out next to the station but that rather ignores topography and existing land-uses. I would hope that the intention is to improve the public realm so it links up better when the phase of Stockport Exchange that involves the carpark next to the railway comes forward.
By Anonymous
Just get it built and open. It is ridiculous that Cheadle, so near to the airport lacks a direct bus or train link necessitating a bus to Gatley or expensive taxi. Likewise a trip into Manchester means a train or train and bus even the tram from Parrs Wood means you need to use car at first. A direct link should hopefully get us off the roads.
By Deb
Cheadle Station: funding approved 2022, planning permission 2023. It’s 2026 and counting. If death came from politicians we would all be immortal?
By Anonymous
Surely it would have been more beneficial to the area to move Gatley station slightly north to where the airport train line crosses the mid Cheshire train line and creating an interchange station. People from Chester, Northwich, Knutsford, Altrincham and Stockport could change here for airport trains rather than the longer journey via the city centre and it’s not too far from where Cheadle station was going to be.
By ALL
@anonymous, June 03, 2026 at 7:44 pm
The delay isn’t down to politics. Its because constructing the new station will cause disruption to the timetabling of freight and passenger services which already use the line, so construction has to be scheduled to align with changes to timetables.
By Anonymous
It’s very good for those airea no good transport for city centre
By Zaid
It’s not London so obvs not gonna happen.
By Andrew Battersby