Stockport residents may already have heard a few different things about the Greater Manchester Bee Network. 

The broad outline of the plan is to have a fully-integrated public travel system, incorporating buses, trams and trains. 

Stockport will have entirely yellow, publicly-controlled Bee Network buses from January 2025, whilst plans to extend the tram network to the borough are in the pipeline.

Off the back of this, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has further outlined plans to bring eight new rail lines into the Bee Network by 2028, parts of which will run through stations in Stockport borough. 

By 2028, these lines will have upgraded trains, integrated fares, and a minimum of two services per hour. 

Specifically, one new line will run from Alderley Edge, through Cheadle Hulme, and then on to Stockport and Heaton Chapel, ultimately finishing up at Piccadilly. 

Another spur will come from Buxton, passing through Hazel Grove, and thence again to Stockport, Heaton Chapel, and Piccadilly. 

Another line will begin at Rose Hill Marple, running to Romiley, Woodley, and then skirting via Hyde, Guide Bridge and Gorton, and again to Piccadilly.

A map showing the proposed Bee Network rail lines for 2028 (Image - Transport for Greater Manchester)

Whilst the rail infrastructure itself may not necessarily change or be rerouted, the trains running on them, and the ticketing system, will. 

Trains, for one, will be "environmentally friendly, [...] with improved on-board facilities and better accessibility", according to TfGM. 

They will also receive new Bee Network branding. 

Ticketing, meanwhile, will be an integrated, touch on / touch off system, not dissimilar to what we see on trams elsewhere in Greater Manchester. 

Speaking generally of the public transport plans, a TfGM spokesperson said: "Ensuring there is enough space on the region's buses, trams and trains is essential to support growth and increased demand, with the number of rapid transit trips expected to double by 2040, helping to enable sustainable economic and housing growth and support our city-region's commitment to be carbon neutral by 2038."

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