Greater Manchester mayor Bev Craig has said the plan to bring Metrolink services to Stockport is 'complicated' but moving ahead.
The much-called-for expansion of trams to the town was finally confirmed last summer when former Chancellor Rachel Reeves made a commitment to pay for the project. Since then, residents have been eagerly waiting for a timeline for when work could get started.
Mayor's update
In the BBC Radio Manchester hotseat today, Greater Manchester's new mayor gave an update on where the plans are up to. She said: "I've said I want to carry on with the work that was already underway. It's moving, but it is complicated, you've got to work through the route, the costings."
"What Andy gave his commitment to do was to begin the work to plan the route, to consult on that, and to figure out how much it was going to cost and where we would engineer it, that work is still ongoing and I've wanted to support that."
Funding and progress
Funding for the plan was confirmed last year when Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) was handed £2.5bn to spend on new projects, including extending the tram network to Stockport town centre. TfGM said in November 2025 that it was working with Stockport council to make the business case to bring trams from East Didsbury to Stockport.
Stockport Interchange, which opened in 2024 at a cost of £135m, was designed to be 'Metrolink ready' and accommodate future tram services. Once delivered, the trams are expected to be a major boost to Greater Manchester's economy by creating improved access between Stockport and the south Manchester suburbs.
Future extensions
Lib Dem politicians in Stockport have called for tram services to be further expanded to other areas around the borough, including to Cheadle. TfGM said last year that part of its work on the business case to expand Metrolink to Stockport would involve looking at 'how this may unlock future extensions' of the network.
One option which was being looked at included using tram-train technology – where services can run on both tram and train tracks - to run beyond Stockport town centre along the Denton rail line, connecting the area into the wider Metrolink network including links to Tameside and Manchester Airport.
