As regular readers of my reviews will know (especially the more recent ones) will know that I went…read moreto Manchester City EDS against Schalke 04 at Ewen Fields, so I used this train station to get to and from Manchester Picadilly and to be honest it is horrible. I am actually surprised being a train station, Newton did not make it on Yelp sooner. This station has 2 platforms and dispite looking okay on pictures it really isnt, my taxi driver told me they was a few entries to this station and the one I taken had no members of staff, just seamed like it was in the middle of no where, they was a very dirty staircase to the platform and at the platform they was still no staff, just a bench and not even any signs to show the trains coming to and from the station and the times they will arrive and if they are delayed. They was an information point but that was about it. When I left the station to get my Taxi to the Stadium, it was a weird exit not through a small inside station like normal, not through any station what so ever, The exit was onto a street, the middle of the street hence was hard to phone a taxi as I could not trace down the street name and the taxi firms could not understand where I am, I was lucky a woman who was driving past helped me with the street name and number where I was, but the next person who exits the station possibly for the stadium or something around the Newton Hyde Area might not be as lucky as I was today. This is the sort of station you would hate to be at for too long with it being dirty, in the middle of no where, extremely quiet and staffless..They was a message from the station manager near the bench which mentioned to use Train Tracker to track trains but for those without a smart phone or having no battery this wold be useless and they would not know if their train was delayed, which mine slightly was by a few minutes. The station entrance I used was up a hill, quiet and really did seem in the Middle of no where, I know some places are short on staff but you would expect to see even one member of staff on any of the 2 platforms even on the smallest of stations, and a screen to tell you where the trains are going, the time and the delay. I would struggle to come up with positives for this station, they was no facilities for food and drink so if you plan to go via this station to get to your destination, dont plan on even finding a toliet or a basic coffee, bag of crisps or newspaper. If you plan to go to this station to travel somewhere, make sure you have your tickets as they is nowhere to buy tickets here or pick up tickets. The best thing about my time at the station was actually getting on the train and getting out of the station!

Ever since the Metrolink came to Ashton, that became the cooler and more common way of getting into…read moretown, but Ashton-under-Lyne Railway Station isn't given the credit it deserves, it provides services into Manchester Victoria in around ten minutes, with services hourly. In the opposite direction, services go into Stalybridge, again with one train per hour. The station is fairly clean, services are limited as expected for a Category E station. There are toilets, however, they do require a key, it can be a little annoying having to find a staff member though, as far as I'm aware the station is only staffed at certain times, so I'm not sure what happens with the toilets when the staff go home. There is a small waiting shelter providing seating and shelter. There are ramps and lifts to get to the platforms. The town's bus and Metrolink station are both a short walk away, allowing you to continue your journey. 3* - Although fairly quiet ever since the Metrolink came to town, despite not being too impressive, it provides adequate transport facilities and is nice to have in Ashton-Under-Lyne.

The station has been modernised with Ramps and a Lift to the Platforms. It also has one Disabled…read moretoilet at rear of the offices (Radar Key Needed) or ask at the ticket office for the Key. There is a small waiting office on the platform that also house the ticket office and a snack machine. The Metro paper is availible FREE in the mornings on the platform. The waiting room is well lit and clean and tidy, staff are helpful and there is always a well stocked selection of Time tables and leaflets on show. There is a small carpark at the front of the station with some restrictions. Ashton-Under-Lyne Bus station is across the road. Ikea is a 10 Minute walk from the Train station and the town centre and Ashton Market is across the Road.

30th January 2024 neither of 2 waiting rooms open. Very cold wait for train. Not acceptable.read more

I am sure the ticket office is much more efficient these days and its true that it does look…read morecleaner and, you know, more like Manchester Piccadilly but this train station has always been one of the nice old fashioned ones. That you thought could stand the test of time. Of course they couldn't touch the legendary buffet bar on the platform to Huddersfield (right at the end) so what we've been left with is a shiny new front and the same old school platforms and actual railway bit. Hmm. Its like walking back in time, the closer you get to the trains. Very odd. The time to Manchester Victoria is about 15 minutes and obviously the planning people realised that a lot of people drive here in order to make the whole thing less than half an hour - so the extra parking spaces were at least a sensible idea. I've got to say that the one thing that hasn't changed are the fantastic views from the Manchester/ Liverpool platform of rows of houses, churches and hills. This quaint area hasn't changed that much after all ...

I like Stockport Station, it's a great, large station for a small town, it's on a good number of…read moreroutes and has easy access into the town centre as well as buses to continue onto your journey, once arriving into the station. Avanti West Coast manages the station; it's served by a good number of operators including: Transport For Wales, CrossCountry, Transpennine Express, Northern and East Midlands Railway. Most services go into Manchester Piccadilly which is only 7-14 minutes away, depending on which service you take but then you can go to a lot of destinations including London, Norwich, Sheffield and Liverpool. If you're heading into Manchester, you'll want the Northbound platforms (3 and 4) There is a Starbucks inside the station which is temporarily closed at the time of writing (January 2021), as well as a WHSmith, both on Platform 2 (London / Southbound platform) The staff inside the station are friendly and there's a good amount of ticket machines. The station is slightly open so it can get pretty cold if you're waiting for a train, compared to Manchester Piccadilly. There is lift-access to all platforms from the subway level. 4*

As explained by others, Stockport is a major transport hub in Greater Manchester as some Victorian…read morebylaw passed at the time the viaduct was built means trains passing over it have to stop here. Given that it is a bit surprising there aren't any substantial shops - it's mostly small outlets for food and drink to take away. These options are mostly terrible...Starbucks etc. However I'm not sure when this started but in recent months I have noticed food stalls in the underpass beneath the platforms. I've had several good quiches from Cheese is Grate who also sell local cheese, cakes and soup I think on a Tuesday and Wednesday. Most excitingly, my Kirkham (Preston) based favourite Pudding & Pie is now here every other Thursday and Friday. Their pies are consistently excellent and the sweet potato and chilli tart I tried today is my new favourite! Way to go Stockport supporting local businesses making good quality non mass produced food and provided better options for hungry travellers!

I've never used the Manchester shuttle, but then again I quite enjoy walking. However, Stockport…read morehas hills, so this bus is a nice idea. This handy little free shuttle bus can be picked up from the 300 bus stop in Stockport Bus Station every 12 minutes between 8am and 6.30pm Mondays to Saturdays and between 10.30am and 5.30pm on Sundays. Unless you're disabled, have a lot of shopping or are just damn lazy, you shouldn't need the shuttle to get from the bus station to the train station (5 minute walk) or to the main shopping area (another 5 minute walk). However, it could be useful if you want to get up the hill towards the Town Hall or Stockport College or in the other direction out to the Peel Centre (which just isn't the same after the death of Border's Books) or to the giant Tesco on the other side of the M60.

Belle Vue Train Station is Ideal For The Dog Track at Belle Vue Greyhound Stadium and Speedway…read moretrack. Its a 5 minute Walk from the Station. There are No Facilitys at This Unmanned Station, Tickets can be purchased from the Guard on the Train. Access to the Platforms is from gates situated on Hyde Road and are stepped Ramps. The Station has small shelters and some seating on each platform, but they are very small. The Station is dimly lit a night and can feel quite unsafe if you are on your own. There is a small Somerfield and KFC across the road and a large new Tescos, near Gorton Market a 5 minute walk up the road. There is also a Hotel on the Corner opposite the Dog Track if you wanted to make a weekend of it!!

Ashton West Metrolink is on the Ashton-Eccles line, it is the second to last stop on the line,…read morein-between Ashton Moss going towards Eccles (via the city centre) and Ashton-Under-Lyne, the terminus. The stop is pretty modern, it seems to be well maintained even though it is one of the least used stations on the network. It is close to Sainsbury's and Marks and Spencer and Ashton Moss restaurants including Nando's, Five Guys and Cineworld, it is a good location. Bus services service this station, mainly from Stagecoach, coming from Ashton interchange. A useful station as it makes it easier to get to the retail park and supermarkets if you are a pedestrian and don't want to walk across the poor pavements and roundabouts. It can get pretty cold and I do prefer Ashton Interchange if you are heading into town, as obviously you can hop on the tram a few minutes before it departs with it being the terminus station, but still, this isn't a bad stop on the Metrolink. 3*

The Stockport Metroshuffle is a free bus which goes around Stockport and the train stations and…read moreshopping areas like Merseyway, Peel Centre and the various supermarket such as ASDA, To someone who doesn't know anymore, it sounds brilliant, but sadly it isn't. Trains run every 12 - 15 minutes but around the stations there isn't a clear enough guide where to stand to catch the bus and when the next ones going to be, at some point there seems to be only one bus running from one side, so you basically have to go round in a giant circle to get to your destination. I basically took the bus from the train station to the city centre and ASDA and I ended up going the wrong way, there was no clear map on which bus was best to use or what route I was actually going, so I felt worried and it certainly was frustrating at the route chosen as it always seemed to differ without warning. The buses as mentioned were quite slow, and overall they weren't really nice either, the first one was okay however the second was really old-fashioned and wasn't very nice. Overall, I think this service is quite poor due to the nature of the buses used, the timing and routes taken also apply and perhaps adding a charge, albeit a small one is what this service needs to make it something good and useful, rather than bad and frustrating, until then I sadly can't give Stockport Metroshuffle anything over a single one star.