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Stoke-on-Trent to Manchester Airport train link confirmed – and it’s coming soon

North Staffordshire residents will soon have a direct train service to Manchester Airport, ending years of frustrating journeys involving changes at Crewe or Manchester Piccadilly.

By Martin Pitchford 10 September 2026

1 min read 499 0

West Midlands Trains has confirmed that a new service linking Birmingham, Stafford, Stoke-on-Trent, Crewe and Manchester Airport will be introduced in phases.

Services between Birmingham, Stafford, Stoke-on-Trent and Crewe will begin in December 2026, before the route is extended through to Manchester Airport in May 2027.

The announcement comes just days after Stoke-on-Trent Central MP Gareth Snell and Newcastle-under-Lyme MP Adam Jogee presented petitions to Parliament containing almost 1,000 signatures from local residents calling for the direct connection.

Both MPs have welcomed the announcement, saying the new service will make travelling to the airport easier for holidaymakers and business travellers, while improving North Staffordshire's links with one of the UK's major international transport hubs.

The new service is also expected to bring later evening trains, improved Sunday services and hundreds of new rail connections to Manchester Airport from Staffordshire and the West Midlands.

For local residents, the biggest change will be simple, a journey to catch a flight that no longer requires hauling luggage between trains.

stoke-on-trent manchester airport north staffordshire stoke-on-trent railway station trains rail travel gareth snell adam jogee

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