When will Metrolink arrive in Stockport?
It's been in the works for ages.
But Stockport residents have shared their frustration at the lack of progress with the town's promised Metrolink expansion.
Last year Andy Burnham said a "detailed update" on the business case for bringing the network to the borough would be shared before the end of 2024. But in November this year it was pushed back again to 2025.
The situation has left locals feeling doubtful about whether the plans will come to fruition at all.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service spoke to people in Stockport about the delays. And many said they were unimpressed.
"What's the point in promising and building hopes up but not following through on it," 42-year-old Lynne Robinson said.
The Stopfordian relies on buses to get around the borough, but explains that people have to take taxis to get out of the town centre when buses are delayed.
"Having the tram would help solve that problem, it would give people more choice and be a lot easier," she added.
Planners at Stockport council said they have done all they can to try to facilitate the expansion.
The town's new transport interchange opened in March and was designed to be 'Metrolink ready'. The regeneration work in Stockport has accommodated the inclusion of potential tram tracks in future.
A route has also been looked at, with trams potentially travelling to the town from the East Didsbury line, which goes on to Manchester city centre.
And Stockport is a rapidly-changing town, with plans to build 8,000 new homes in the centre matched with growing numbers of people looking to live there. The case for widening transport options is strong.
But as with any major infrastructure project, the cost of delivering it would be enormous, with reports this year estimating it could take a £1 billion investment to make the expansion a reality.
For some Stockport residents, this could mean being able to travel more without using their car.
Kathleen Grace, 74, lives in the Heaton Moor neighbourhood of Stockport, but says residents struggle to get to the town centre without driving.
She and her husband regularly jump in the car for the two-mile journey, but would love to take the tram from East Didsbury instead if it became available.
"We bring the car from Heaton Moor [to Stockport], but I think Metrolink would be really handy," she said.
"A lot more people would come to Stockport on the tram, such as people who don't drive. It's taking a long time, we thought it would be ages ago but it's not happened yet."
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) says work to bring the tram to Stockport is progressing, with contracts already having been awarded for some of the work as part of the developing business case.
A TfGM spokesperson confirmed that the next strategic outline business case being looked at is Metrolink to Stockport, and added that this will help to secure funding for the scheme as well as facilitate gaining powers to acquire land and build out the network.
They added: "Following some preliminary work we are now starting the formal strategic outline business case. To enable this, we have competitively tendered and awarded contracts for design, modelling and appraisal and expect this work to be done by September 2025."
A future Metrolink stop in Stockport town centre could be the start of a wider expansion around the borough, council bosses hope.
At a town hall meeting in February, members discussed the prospect of the tram going further to places such as Marple, Cheadle, and Hazel Grove once it is in the town centre.
Marion Garner, 82, from Poynton, said there is a real need for more transport options between Stockport's towns and districts.
She added: "A tram would be nice, it would bring a lot of benefits to Stockport and you can go anywhere from the Interchange. But it is annoying that it's been promised but it's not here yet."
Mark Hunter, the Lib Dem leader of Stockport council, said residents in the borough have helped to fund the expansion of Metrolink around Greater Manchester over the years, and deserve their own slice of the network.
"Stockport has been promised that Metrolink will come here next, and our brand new transport interchange was designed around the proposed route," he said.
"A business case for the Metrolink extension has been promised at least twice in recent years, but we seem no nearer to this actually seeing the light of day.
"We will not just sit back and let the Greater Manchester Mayor walk away from his undertakings. We will fight to ensure that the next extension of Metrolink is to Stockport, as repeatedly promised."
Other parts of Greater Manchester are also vying for new Metrolink stops.
Labour MP Elsie Blundell said this week that Middleton should be "at the top of the list for Metrolink" at the Atom Valley site, which is set to create thousands of homes and jobs.
A blueprint shared by (TfGM) in July for the future of the network revealed plans are being considered for new lines in the boroughs of Salford, Stockport and Rochdale.
Mr Burnham told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that he is "actively looking at the potential to bring Metrolink to Stockport."
"Our city-region is thriving and growing, and it's important that our transport network grows with it," he said.
"We are committed to keeping the same focus and momentum on the next phase of the Bee Network as we did with buses, and that includes integrating rail and looking at where we can expand Metrolink.
"The brand new [Stockport] interchange is ready and waiting for it, and we have the funding to develop the business case – that work is being prioritised and is underway."
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