Stockport calls for 'action, not words' on long-awaited tram link

Stockport's council leader has called for action, not words on the Metrolink extension

People in a Greater Manchester town have launched a fresh campaign to be connected to the region's tram network, saying their "patience is exhausted".

The Metrolink network covers much of Manchester but does not currently reach Stockport.

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has said the ongoing work at the town's new transport interchange will soon be "Metrolink ready".

But the Next Stop Stockport campaign is seeking to press the issue.

Stockport Council leader Mark Hunter backed the campaign at a recent town hall meeting, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reported.

He said: "The extension of the network to Stockport has been promised many times but we are still waiting despite all the assurances.

"There have been a number of dramatic announcements, telling us that delivery of the business case is 'imminent' - but still we wait for our turn."

'Need for action'

"Some of us feel we have waited quite long enough. Our patience is exhausted," he added.

Mr Hunter noted that when the Metrolink was first introduced more than 30 years ago it was "always understood that all parts of the city region would eventually benefit".

"We need action, not words and the time for talking has passed," he said.

Mr Burnham told BBC Radio Manchester in October that the combined authority would be reviewing the plan and looking at its cost, adding "we're going to publish that work later this year".

The proposal would see Stockport linked to both Manchester Airport and East Didsbury.

One design proposes that a Metrolink service would travel through a new tunnel which would run under part of Mercian Way and King Street West between Booth Street and the Railway station - although the exact location has not yet been determined.

Transport for Greater Manchester have been approached for comment.

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