Marple is in desperate need of a rail link with Stockport to ease congestion in and out of Marple, especially at peak times. Commuters from and to Marple currently face the "Marple Crawl" - road being the only option to travel directly towards Stockport, which many, many people use. This problem has existed for decades; in the morning it can take well over an hour on what is theoretically a 20 minute journey. A rail link would provide much needed relief for the roads, and a cleaner and quicker way to get to Stockport.

The most feasible option is to simply run trains on existing track from Rose Hill via Guide Bridge. Otherwise, two existing lines could be linked by a small curve between Brinnington and Reddish South. It is ironic that a Marple tram from Manchester is considered as viable when there are already two train routes that cover this, yet a rail link that is badly needed from Marple to Stockport is not even raised.