An underused railway line between Stockport and Tameside could run tram-trains in the future.

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has proposed turning the railway line between Stockport town centre and Ashton into a tram-train route - that is to say, a tram route which shares track with a railway line.

At the moment, the line only sees two rail services per week - one to Stalybridge and another to Stockport.

A map showing options for expanding Greater Manchester's Metrolink service (Image - GMCA)

A tram train route would link Stockport and Reddish South with the wider tram network via Ashton.

That's in addition to the Metrolink extension which is planned from East Didsbury to Stockport town centre.

The proposals feature in TfGM's 2040 strategy for tram trains.

The plans could revitalise Reddish South, which currently only sees two services per week (Image - Leo12780 / Wikimedia Commons)

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, said: We've a bold plan to deliver a decade of good growth for Greater Manchester, one that benefits every part of the city region.

"Developing the Bee Network and delivering better bus, tram and train connections will be fundamental to our growth story.

"For too long, Denton has been overlooked and by working up the tram-train option to connect Denton and the wider area to the Metrolink is a big step toward unlocking opportunities for local residents and businesses.

"We're committed to extending Metrolink to Stockport and beyond as part of our efforts to connect all our districts to the tram network and delivering a truly integrated transport network for everyone."

Find more information about TfGM here.

(Reddish South station image by Leo12780, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.)

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