Work on new Greater Manchester train station will 'begin soon' - where and when it will be built

It follows a recent council report which shared that ‘the project team achieved planning permission for Cheadle Rail Station in 2023/24’ and are ‘progressing towards construction on-site.’ The work will mark the beginning of a major infrastructure upgrade in Cheadle, and one which is set to help transform the area by improving transport links to Stockport town centre and beyond.

It will also improve connectivity along the Mid Cheshire Line, which connects Manchester Piccadilly and Chester railway stations. The site earmarked for the new Cheadle station is based north of Cheadle High Street, off Manchester Road. A £13.9-million funding package was approved for the project in 2022 as part of the government’s Towns Fund scheme.

Grace Baynham, Stockport council’s cabinet member for parks, highways and transport services, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that “progress is being made” on the plans and that the station is due to be completed by the end of 2025. She said: “Cheadle hasn’t had access to passenger rail for over 100 years so to bring this back will be a boost for the area and enhance this already vibrant part of the borough.

“Over the last few years Cheadle has seen some of its bus connectivity reduced, so getting the rail connection back will give people added choices about how they travel, and this is being combined with improvements to walking and cycling routes nearby. The council has been working very hard to plan out the scheme, and work on site will begin soon, all being well the station will be completed before the end of 2025.”

Money for the project was approved alongside work to create a new eco-business park as well as new walking and cycling routes.

Stockport recently benefited from the opening of the new transport interchange in the town centre, which has been designed to be ‘Metrolink ready’ for the anticipated expansion of the light-rail network to the borough.

Tom Morrison, a councillor in Cheadle West and Gatley and the Lib Dem candidate for the Cheadle constituency, has also called for Metrolink to be rolled out to Cheadle.

At a Stockport town hall meeting in February, councillors discussed plans to expand the Metrolink network around the borough once it is finally Stockport town centre. Other areas in the borough including Marple and Hazel Grove were also put forward as part of any future Metrolink expansion to Stockport.