Navendu Mishra has been told to “make a business case” for expanding the number of services at Reddish South railway station.
Speaking in parliament on Tuesday (July 8), the Stockport MP said to Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander: “I’ve been campaigning for a very long time for the expansion of the Metrolink from Manchester in my constituency.
“I do have one ask in terms of Reddish South train station in my constituency, which is one of the quietest stations in the UK, with just one service per week.
“The Friends of Reddish South Station group is very active, and I was with them just a few days ago on Sunday. So can I ask the Secretary of State to restore proper passenger services at Reddish South train station?”
However, his request was rebuffed by Ms Alexander, who said: “I am aware of the campaign for a full service into Reddish South, and I would encourage him to keep working with the Mayor of Greater Manchester and Transport for Greater Manchester to build the case for it.”
Simon Elliott, network director for rail at Transport for Greater Manchester, told Six57: “In Greater Manchester our public transport system is joining together journeys by bus, tram and active travel – and attention is naturally now turning to rail and our three-phase plan to bring eight key Greater Manchester commuter lines into the Bee Network by 2028.
“But fundamental reform is needed to give us the powers we need to realise our plan in full, with greater local accountability and influence over the reliability and frequency of services, fares and better linking up with other modes of transport.
“That’s why we’re working with the government to ensure its Railway Bill has the flexibility to allow us to have more of a say at local level, ensuring our railways work for everyone and support our ambitions for growth.
“We will also continue to work with Stockport MP Navendu Mishra and the rail industry to explore how we can improve the frequency of services at Reddish South.”
Since regular services stopped in 1992, Reddish South has become one of the UK’s least used stations, with its one Saturday morning service running each-way between Stalybridge and Stockport attracting just 128 entries and exits in 2023/24.
Only Polesworth (118 passengers) in Warwickshire, Ince & Elton (86) in Cheshire, the isolated Shippea Hill (70) in Cambridgeshire, and Reddish South’s neighbour Denton (54) had a lower patronage during the same period.
Despite this, freight trains still regularly use the line, including an engine whose carriages derailed in Audenshaw last September, cutting off pedestrian access along Sidmouth Street for almost a year.
