diagram showing local routes The
Manchester and Birmingham Railway (M&BR) opened in stages from Manchester and reached the north of Stockport in 1840. The line ran from a temporary station in Manchester to Heaton Norris station, at the north end of the uncompleted
Stockport Viaduct. The temporary station, which was later renamed
Heaton Norris, was Stockport's only station for over two years. After the viaduct was completed, the M&BR built a station at its southern end as an experiment. The decision was prompted by complaints that the first station was a long way from the industrial parts of town and even further from the residential districts on the south side. The second station opened on 15 February 1843 as
Edgeley. By 1844, it became the town's primary station. Heaton Norris station, which lay at the north end of the viaduct, was closed in 1959. ==Routes==