{"id":425537,"date":"2025-09-15T05:59:16","date_gmt":"2025-09-15T05:59:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/425537\/"},"modified":"2025-09-15T05:59:16","modified_gmt":"2025-09-15T05:59:16","slug":"weve-got-one-train-a-week-the-area-is-crying-out-for-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/425537\/","title":{"rendered":"‘We’ve got one train a week – the area is crying out for more’"},"content":{"rendered":"

People living in Reddish say they’ve been let down by poor services at one its stations.\"ReddishReddish South has just one service to Stalybridge (Picture Jason Roberts \/ Manchester Evening News)<\/p>\n

It\u2019s Saturday morning in Reddish and the start of a weekly ritual that has caused frustration and bemusement for years.<\/p>\n

At exactly 9.10am the one passenger service a week departs from the platform at Reddish<\/a> South station, bound for Stalybridge<\/a> in Tameside<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The only other connection at this station is the opposite journey, which pulls in at 8.45am the same day.<\/p>\n

To see planning applications; traffic and road diversions and layout changes; and more, visit the Public Notices Portal HERE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

After that the station, which is managed by Northern, is not used by passenger trains for the rest of the week until the process starts again, while the buzz of daily life in Reddish continues around it.<\/p>\n

The next nearest stations for trains to Manchester are either Heaton Chapel or Reddish North, both of which can be a 20 to 30 minute walk away, adding up to an hour of walking to the journey on a return trip.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a situation which left locals in the neighbourhood fuming with the lack of public transport options other than buses.<\/p>\n

Amid growing concern, calls have been made for transport bosses to finally sort out the situation and restore \u2018proper\u2019 services to the area.<\/p>\n

But what can be done and how realistic is it to change things?<\/p>\n

\"TheThe station is empty most of the week (Picture Jason Roberts \/ Manchester Evening News)<\/p>\n

Some want to start with a connection from Reddish South to Stockport<\/a> town centre, which offers wider access to the railway network and a busy transport interchange with buses – not forgetting a tram stop on the way<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But a link to Manchester Victoria has also been put forward, which would benefit commuters and anyone else trying to get into the city centre.<\/p>\n

Those behind the Friends of Reddish South and Denton<\/a> Stations have been campaigning on this very matter, proposing that a service from Stockport to Manchester Victoria via Reddish South and Denton could include the stations at Ashton Moss, Droylsden<\/a> and Phillips Park.<\/p>\n

People living in Reddish say more services in the station are long overdue.<\/p>\n

Kelsey Overton is from Oregon in the United States but now lives in Reddish with her husband.<\/p>\n

\"KelseyKelsey Overton didn’t realise the lack of services at the station before moving to the area (Picture Jason Roberts \/ Manchester Evening News)<\/p>\n

With a smile she says that when the couple were house hunting closeness to a train station was a key consideration.<\/p>\n

They assumed Reddish South would meet their needs – as anyone reasonably would – but soon learned the reality of the skeleton service.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe services at Reddish South could definitely be better,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019d be amazing if there were more train services to Manchester, I\u2019d definitely use it.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy husband works in Lancaster and has to walk to Heaton Chapel for the train, which is about a mile away.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s so important to have these services, if it was here people would use it, it\u2019s a built up area and we should have the resources available to use for things like this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many others in the neighbourhood agreed.<\/p>\n

\"ColinColin Livingstone said the lack of trains are a frustration for residents near Reddish South station (Picture Jason Roberts \/ Manchester Evening News)<\/p>\n

Colin Livingstone used to work in Manchester city centre<\/a> but he had to travel out of Reddish to get there, adding time to the journey.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cThis area is crying out for a train service to Manchester Victoria, people would use it, even if it was just a half-hour service, it would have a huge impact.<\/p>\n

\u201cI used to work near Victoria and I had to go to Heaton Chapel station and take a train to Manchester Piccadilly and walk the rest of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are a lot of people who live in this area and are working in Manchester, we\u2019re miles away from the tram so we\u2019re relying on the bus service.\u201d<\/p>\n

Join our Stockport WhatsApp group HERE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Retiree Cath Bradshaw lives just metres from Reddish South station, and said she\u2019s come to depend on the Bee Network buses.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t use trains, I use the bus instead, I\u2019m retired so it doesn\u2019t affect me as much personally, but there are loads of cars here and more trains could help with that.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are very used to their cars now and it has made some people very lazy. If you\u2019re going to Stockport you\u2019d have to walk or take a bus or taxi.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"CathCath Bradshaw said Reddish is packed with cars (Picture Jason Roberts \/ Manchester Evening News)What\u2019s being done about the situation?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Coun Grace Baynham is the cabinet member for transport at Stockport council<\/a> and said it has been a \u2018long term ambition\u2019 to bring back services at the station to Stockport and beyond.<\/p>\n

The recent announcement that Stockport will finally be getting a Metrolink<\/a> stop be the answer to solve the problem, she added.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe stumbling block we have reached is that there is currently limited rail capacity at Stockport station itself, which has knock on effects for Reddish South.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur huge campaign win of delivering Metrolink to Stockport provides an opportunity to rectify this.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis has the potential to increase the capacity of the rails through Stockport station which could unlock access to Reddish South and further afield to Marple<\/a> and elsewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"MoreMore trains could reduce the number of cars on the road, residents said (Picture Jason Roberts \/ Manchester Evening News)<\/p>\n

The calls for better services made it to Parliament in May, when they were raised by Stockport’s MP Navendu Mishra.<\/p>\n

Praising the friends of Reddish South group, he said: “They are a brilliant community group in the Reddish part of Stockport who have worked tirelessly to improve their local railway station. They have been campaigning for years for proper rail services at Reddish South. Currently, Reddish South station has one train a week. Imagine having a local train station with one train a week\u2014it is just ridiculous.”<\/p>\n

Local councillors in Reddish have also thrown their voices behind the campaign enthusiastically.<\/p>\n

Coun Rachel Wise said a service to Manchester Victoria could be a win-win by taking pressure off the rail network in other places.<\/p>\n

\u201cReddish South station provides a genuine opportunity to both reliably connect Reddish to Stockport by rail, but also to move some commuter traffic off the very congested Reddish Road\/Gorton<\/a> Road stretch by restoring the rail line to Manchester Victoria,\u201d she told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.<\/p>\n

“This could alleviate some of the existing pressure on the Stockport – Manchester Piccadilly stretch, as well as providing a vital commuting link, not just to the other side of Manchester, but also to the strategic employment opportunities proposed for Ashton<\/a> Moss.<\/p>\n

“As the current connections from Reddish to both Stockport and Ashton are only by bus, incidents on the M60<\/a> between junctions 24 and 27 can mean that it’s almost impossible to get out of Reddish, even where people have made the sustainable choice to leave the car at home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Coun Gary Lawson added: \u201cI know there are some technical issues to overcome, but it would be really good for Reddish. Your only way of getting into Stockport if you live in south Reddish is on the bus and the buses are not as frequent or as reliable as they ought to be. It would be really good to have a train service from the station, absolutely.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TransportTransport bosses said the issue is complicated to fix (Picture Jason Roberts \/ Manchester Evening News)Is anything likely to change?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Despite the pressure, transport bosses have warned that simply putting on new services is a complicated matter.<\/p>\n

A prime example of this is nearby in Cheadle<\/a>, where work to open a new train station has been held up<\/a> by the logistical task of figuring out how adding more trains on the network could impact services in other places.<\/p>\n

It also throws several different organisations into the mix, including Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), train operating companies who also manage train stations, Network Rail, and politicians.<\/p>\n

In response to calls for better services at Reddish South, TfGM highlighted its ongoing work on the railways.<\/p>\n

Simon Elliott, network director for rail, said: \u201cFollowing the successful launch of the Bee Network, bringing together journeys by bus, tram and active travel, focus is now very much on our three-phase plan to bring-in eight key rail commuter lines by 2028.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe continue to work with the government on its Railway Bill and the reform needed to give us greater local accountability and influence over local services.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur ambition is to improve the reliability and frequency of services, fares and connectivity with other modes of transport, ensuring our railways work for everyone and support wider ambitions for growth.\u201d<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for Northern said: “We recognise that there is a local appetite for more trains to run to Reddish South.<\/p>\n

“Nearby Reddish North station currently has two trains an hour linking Reddish with Manchester city centre, and we continue to work closely with partners at Transport for Greater Manchester and the Department for Transport to look at how services across the area can be improved.”<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for Stockport council said: \u201cMetrolink coming to Stockport is a huge opportunity for our borough.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot only will it give residents better connections into Manchester and beyond, it will also open the door to exploring future orbital routes that could link communities right across Stockport, including Reddish.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want every part of the borough to feel the benefits when Metrolink does come to Stockport, from making travel to work easier, to boosting our local economy and helping people choose more sustainable ways to get around.\u201d<\/p>\n

Network Rail was approached for comment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"People living in Reddish say they’ve been let down by poor services at one its stations.Reddish South has…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":425538,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8813],"tags":[748,393,4884,2465,1836,20082,285,9031,16498,1288,2622,1026,8825,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-425537","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-manchester","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-england","10":"tag-great-britain","11":"tag-manchester","12":"tag-network-rail","13":"tag-northern","14":"tag-politics","15":"tag-reddish","16":"tag-stalybridge-and-dukinfield","17":"tag-stockport","18":"tag-stockport-council","19":"tag-tameside","20":"tag-transport-for-greater-manchester","21":"tag-uk","22":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115206787976035277","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/425537","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=425537"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/425537\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/425538"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=425537"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=425537"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=425537"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}