Stockport Council, in consultation with Transport for Greater Manchester, has published a new vision for rail travel in the Stockport area (UK).
The plan focuses on four key priorities for a Metrolink network, Improvement of existing railway stations, Stockport Railway Station and High Speed 2 (HS2).
For Metrolink network, the plan calls for the existing Marple to Manchester Picadilly service to be converted to a ‘Tram train’ system, and in turn connect to Stockport town centre. This would be the start of a southern ‘orbital’ network for Metrolink, connecting the east of Greater Manchester to Manchester Airport, with Stockport town centre as a key hub in this new network.
For the improvement of existing railway stations plan, the strategy recommends improving existing suburban railway stations to improve the regularity of trains and improve passenger’s journey experiences, in particular improvement of bicycle storage facilities and better lighting and CCTV.
The improvement of Stockport Railway Station is key to the regeneration of the town centre. In particular, the regeneration of the station will support other key developments in the area, such as Stockport Exchange, a new office quarter adjacent to the railway station.
The rail plan welcomes HS2 with all the transport and economic benefits it will bring to Greater Manchester. The plan sets out a clear strategy to retain the existing excellent connectivity of Stockport as a key stop on the West Coast Mail Line as both phases of HS2 are delivered.
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