How are you doing with your presents? Bought them all yet?
Surprisingly we’ve bought nearly all of ours already – and don’t ask me how much we’ve spent! It is hard work though, isn’t it, trying to pick something that you think someone will appreciate. And then comes that exciting job of wrapping them up – trying to hold three different bits of paper together at the same time as cutting the sellotape; sticking the sellotape onto one finger and trying to fold everything back up, only to discover that a bit of the tape has stuck to the paper and ripped it! Then there’s the present which turns out to be just too big for the largest sheet or roll of wrapping paper you could find.
I find wrapping presents to be is a bind!
And then you sit back a look at your endeavours and it’s still pretty obvious what most things are – it isn’t easy to disguise the shirt with the collar which sticks up above the rest of the pack, a tennis racket is a tennis racket even inside Christmas wrapping, a bottle of wine is a bottle of wine however you try to wrap it – and a mountain bike – well what else could it be?
It is a wonder that anyone is surprised by the presents that they get.
And yet we are, aren’t we. There is always something that comes as a complete surprise – even if we’ve given everyone a list of what we want, we still get that present or presents which are impossible to guess from their wrapping. We look at them and wonder what they might be.
Sometimes the surprise is positive. I’ve had some wonderful unexpected presents. But the surprise can also be negative. … As a teenager in the 1970s, I set my sights on a lovely pair of cowboy boots that had good 3 inch high heels, and 1.5 inch platforms. They were bright orange in colour. I told my parents about them and they assured me that my boots would be waiting for me on Christmas morning.
As teenagers are wont to do, I slithered downstairs on Christmas morning, trying not to betray my excitement. Mum and Dad had always said “No!” to my choice in clothes before and they still held the purse strings!
When we started opening the presents, I was immediately aware that I was going to be disappointed. There were no presents large enough. Still I maintained a slim hope that perhaps the boot calves had been folded over to get them into a smaller box. But no, when I opened the present from Mum and Dad, there were a pair of boots, ankle height, elasticised slip-on boots with half inch heels – Chelsea Boots. How could they have got it so wrong? I thought. I don’t think I wore boots more than once. I was really disappointed!
John the Baptist believed that he was preparing the way for a Jewish Messiah. He had in mind what he wanted. The trouble was that when that Messiah arrived he did not fit John’s idea of a Messiah. God’s gift to Israel was not what it wanted. Not even John the Baptist, who did so much to prepare the way for Jesus had any confidence in what Jesus was doing now that His ministry had started.
I guess John the Baptist was sitting in prison wondering whether his life had been wasted!
In our reading, Jesus has to remind John of passages from Isaiah about the suffering servant.
Israel, and John the Baptist, had ignored these prophecies about the Messiah and clung onto the one’s they preferred – those that foretold a military messiah, a powerful leader who would free them from the yoke of oppression.
‘No,’ says Jesus, ‘I am here to inaugurate a different kingdom, a kingdom built on justice for all, and peace and healing for the oppressed.’
The thing with God is … that we can never pin God down. We think we have listened. We form our ideas of what God wants, or what God is doing. And then, … well, God does something different. We’ve tried to understand what he wants and yet again we’ve been trapped by our own ideas and our limited understanding of God.
It is wonderful when God surprises us with something new, something different. The incarnation of Jesus, was one of those occasions: the most important of them. In Jesus’ life and death he turned convention on its head, he disturbed the status quo, and out of a shameful death brought new life and hope to the world.
Jesus is God’s present to us this Christmas. ……… But don’t go thinking that you’ll get the present you’ve asked for!
Jesus at work in our lives is more disturbing, more exciting, more wonderful than we can anticipate. I was disappointed with my boots back in the 1970s, but I have never been disappointed with Jesus. Occasionally confused, sometimes disturbed, sometimes bewildered, sometimes wondering what I believe and why, but following Jesus’ lead has taken me all over the place – to University to study Civil Engineering, to different Councils to work as a bridge engineer, to Uganda for a time, into training for the ministry, marriage later in life, into ministry in the Church of England in and around Manchester, and most recently to retirement here in Shropshire! And God continues to change and challenge me – and I am still slow to learn and slow to trust!
Ultimately, John the Baptist died before he could see Jesus come in his glory.
In Jesus’ death, shame became glory. The Bible reminds us that the cross was itself Christ’s glory, Christ’s throne. It was the place where the love of God for the world was revealed.
As Christians, we can look back with gratitude to those days. … For those who lived through them, they were days full of hope …. then of deep disappointment … and then of hope once again. … Days full of shocks and surprises. Their world was truned on its head more than once.
Our God is a God of surprises. God asks for our loyalty and trust. God wants to surprise each of us with God’s presence in Christ this Christmas time. May we be those who are open to those surprises. Amen.
A. Uganda to begin construction of its Standard Gauge railway network in April 2026.
In August 2025, Rogers Atukunda wrote of the construction of Uganda’s Standard Gauge railway network commencing in April 2026. His article can be found here. [1]
B. Uganda is to use electric traction for the Kampala to Malaba Standard Gauge Railway Line.
Uganda has recently confirmed that its Standard Gauge line from Malaba/Tororo to Kampala will operate with electric traction to European standards rather than diesel traction to Chinese standards.
The planned regional standard-gauge network includes two lines separating inside the Eastern border of Uganda at Tororo. These then diverge further in the West (at Bihanga) and in the North (at Gulu). The total route length will be 1,724 kilometres subject to change due to design modifications and additional sidings and/or branch lines. [3]
Kabona Esiara of ‘The East African‘ explained in November 2025 that this required detailed negotiations between the railway authorities in Kenya and Uganda. These negotiations commenced in mid-November 2025. [2]
Uganda and Kenya were working on a raft of technical and policy measures to facilitate a seamless SGR system between the two countries as they work in the next few years on parallel finishing of their SGR lines.
Kenya says it will start constructing the Naivasha-Kisumu-Malaba line early in 2026 while construction of Uganda’s Kampala-Malaba should commence in the second quarter of 2026.
C. A series of mis-steps in the development of railways in Kenya and Uganda.
Mary Serumaga, in 2018, said that “the building of standard gauge (SGR) railways in both Uganda and Kenya and the predictable sagas that have ensued are reminiscent of the controversies surrounding the building of the Uganda and Rhodesian Railways in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Both present a framework within which it is possible finally to understand the limited achievements in development in all sectors (and frankly, underdevelopment in many) and regression in Uganda’s primary education, copper mining and agricultural sectors. Both SGR projects are tainted with suspicion of shady procurement which, if taken together with the track records of the implementers, points to corruption. It would be irresponsible to say otherwise.” [4]
“The route, design, level of service and all other decisions of the Uganda Railway of 1990 were dictated by potential profits for foreign investors (both public and private) and their local agents, and not by notions of public service and the common good of those who would bear the ultimate cost. Return on investment is not a bad thing but the Imperial government also claimed to be acting in the interests of the indigenous populations. … The difference now is that there is no pretence about whether the railways are serving the interests of the general population. The different financial implications presented by the procurement process itself, the selection of routes and the relative cost of engineering in the different terrains, plus the cost of compensating displaced landowners, provide scope for long-running, energy-depleting corruption scandals. From the outset, there has been a lack of confidence that procurement processes for the necessary services would prioritise the interests of the public over the interests of the contractor and would actively exclude the personal interests of the public servants commissioning the works. This is what is triggering the anxiety surrounding the SGRs.” [4]
“Moreover, the choice over whether to upgrade the old railway or to start afresh was not adequately debated publicly. Ditto the options on financing. For the Kenyan SGR, the most costly of the potential routes were reportedly selectively chosen. Several cheaper routes on land allegedly already in possession of the government are said to have been rejected. … There are also questions surrounding passenger service. Do the railways only serve trade or are passengers entitled to this alternative to dangerous road transport?” [4]
“Uganda owns one half of the old East African Railway. Together with the Kenyan leg, it was put under a 25-year management contract. The new owners renamed their new toy Rift Valley Railways (RVR). In 2017, after only twelve years, the governments cancelled the contracts in a move the RVR called an illegal takeover. On the Ugandan end, there were allegations of asset-stripping by previous European concessionaires as well as unpaid concession fees and massive salary arrears caused by RVR. If RVR were to successfully sue the government for cancellation of the contract, their compensation would be the first budget overrun. … The government of Uganda then signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2014 with the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), which had submitted a study. It abandoned those negotiations in favour of a second Chinese entity, the China Harbour Engineering Company. In justifying its action, the government questioned the quality of the CCECC’s study, which it said was cut and pasted from pre-existing feasibility studies (something that could have been avoided by following proper procurement procedures). CCECC insists it was a pre-feasibility study requiring less detail than a full-blown feasibility study. Whatever the case, if CCECC had followed through with its suit for US$8 million in compensation, which would have been another massive blow to the budget at inception. Whatever compensation they have agreed to has not been made public but as matters stand, the budget for the eastern leg of the SGR has gone up from CCECC’s proposed US$4.2 billion to CHEC’s US$6.7 billion.” [4]
The remainder of Mary Serumaga’s article which looks back at colonial construction work and draws parallels with 21st century procurement and construction in East Africa can be found here. [4]
D. President Yoweri Museveni’s State of the Nation Address in June 2025.
In June 2025, President Museveni highlighted significant rail developments, advancing the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) project to link with Kenya and the region, aiming to cut costs and boost trade, while discussing financing for the $2.8 billion Kampala-Malaba SGR and emphasizing participation in the development of the new rail infrastructure. In essence, the 2025 address signalled a push for comprehensive road and railway modernization and expansion, leveraging oil revenues and debt financing to build a robust network for economic transformation. [5] Museveni said, “we are soon finalizing the construction of the 1,443km East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) from Buliisa to Tanga in Tanzania. The construction of the SGR, which I launched last year, is soon starting,” [5] and “the NRM Government has prioritized infrastructure development especially roads, railways and electricity.” [5] In addition, the government will be focusing on revitalizing metre-gauge lines (like Tororo-Gulu, Kampala-Malaba).
E. Kenya – Additional Madaraka Express Trains for the Christmas period.
Kenya Railways announces additional Madaraka Express trains from 8th December 2025, to 5th January 2026, to meet increased festive season demand. The Nairobi-Mombasa train departs Nairobi at 9:40 AM, arriving in Mombasa at 3:35 PM, while the Mombasa-Nairobi train leaves at 4:30 PM, reaching Nairobi at 10:55 pm. [6]
“The railway operator said the move comes in response to increased demand during the holiday period, when thousands of Kenyans and tourists journey along the scenic Nairobi-Mombasa route. … ‘We are committed to providing a safe and convenient travel experience, and the additional services will help ease congestion while maintaining punctuality’ reads the notice dated 2nd December.” [7]
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has indicated that it is considering a plan to extending the already proposed East Finsbury to Stockport extension of the Metrolink tram network. The extension would utilise the underused railway line between Stockport and Denton.
Talk is of utilising tram-train technology on this possible new extension.
Should this proposal be approved it would link Stockport to Tameside and could also provide a link to Manchester Airport
The Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham spoke of bold plans to deliver a decade of growth for Greater Manchester. He said that “developing the Bee Network and delivering better bus, tram and train connections will be fundamental to [that] growth story.” [2]
He continued: “For too long, Denton has been overlooked and by working up the tram-train option to connect Denton and the wider area to the Metrolink is a big step toward unlocking opportunities for local residents and businesses. … We’re committed to extending Metrolink to Stockport and beyond as part of our efforts to connect all our districts to the tram network and delivering a truly integrated transport network for everyone.” [2]
TfGM is already working with Stockport Council to develop a business case for bringing trams to Stockport. The Strategic Outline Case [4] – the first step in the process – is exploring a ‘core’ extension from the existing Metrolink stop at East Didsbury to Stockport town centre. The extension through Denton is not part of those ‘core’ proposals but, “as part of the work on the business case, TfGM is also considering how this may unlock future extensions. One option being worked up includes using tram-train technology – where services can run on both tram and train tracks – to run beyond Stockport town centre along the Denton rail line, connecting the area firmly into the wider Metrolink network including links to Tameside and Manchester Airport.” [2]
Good progress has been made on the first stage of the Stockport Metrolink extension business case, with TfGM now working to complete all required technical work ahead of submission to the Department for Transport in early 2026. Construction on the ‘core’ element of the project could begin by the end of the decade, if approvals and funding are acquired.
Andrew Gwynne, MP for Gorton & Denton, said: “For years I’ve campaigned, alongside the local community, for improved transport links to Denton and across the constituency. I’m delighted that as part of the Metrolink extension plans, TfGM are looking seriously at using the rail line as an option for tram-train services. … Improved connectivity is key to opening up opportunities for our people and communities, and supporting the growth ambitions across the city region.”
Navendu Mishra, MP for Stockport, said: “Since my election to the House of Commons in December 2019, I have been pushing the Government to fund the extension of Manchester’s Metrolink tram network into my constituency of Stockport, and I thank the Secretary of State for Transport, the Chancellor and Transport for Greater Manchester for backing the extension to our town centre. … This will be a significant boost for Stockport’s connectivity and local economy, helping people to get to work, school and healthcare appointments more easily and sustainably as well as unlocking new homes and jobs.” [2]
Leader of Tameside Council, Cllr Eleanor Wills, said: “The options being developed to utilise the Denton rail line to expand Metrolink and better connect Ashton to Manchester Airport via Stockport have the potential to be truly transformational. … The Ashton Mayoral Development Zone is an exciting and vital opportunity to unlock Ashton’s potential, providing new homes and quality jobs. With even better transport links we can set ourselves up to for good growth for many years to come.” [2]
Leader of Stockport Council, Cllr Mark Roberts, said: “I’ve always said when it comes to MetroLink that it should be ‘Next Stop Stockport not Last Stop Stockport’ to the help deliver the ambition we have -the delivery of Metrolink and improving public transport connectivity across the borough and Greater Manchester is something we can all get behind.” [2]
TfGM says: “With Greater Manchester embarking on a decade of good growth, the city region is committed through the Greater Manchester Strategy to developing a transport system for a global city region – with 90% of people within a five-minute walk of a bus or tram that comes at least every 30 minutes.” [2]
In June 2025, the government awarded Greater Manchester £2.5 billion through Transport for the City Regions funding for a pipeline of projects including a tram line to Stockport and tram-train services connecting Oldham, Rochdale, Heywood and Bury, new Metrolink stops and modern new interchanges. … The £2.5 billion is part of a package of investment Greater Manchester is seeking to deliver its growth ambitions in full – with the city region seeking to work collaboratively with Government on exploring new funding models for major transport and other infrastructure projects. [3] As of December 2025, Metrolink is the UK’s largest light rail network, with 99 stops connecting seven of the 10 boroughs of Greater Manchester. Record numbers of people are also getting onboard, with 45.6 million trips made in 2024 – up from 33.5m trips in 2022. [2]
The £2.5 billion investment for the Greater Manchester city-region is targetted at enabling the Bee network become fully-electric, zero-emission public transport system by 2030. Local rail lines will be brought into the Bee Network by 2030, fully integrated bike, bus, tram and train travel for the first time outside London. New electric buses, tram lines, tram stops and transport interchanges are among pipeline of projects which will deliver far-reaching benefits across Greater Manchester. Mayor Andy Burnham said that further progress on the next phase of the Bee Network will now be delivered at an unrelenting pace.
Greater Manchester will create an all-electric local public transport network:
Greater Manchester will bring rail into the Bee Network. “Local rail lines will be integrated with the Bee Network, … the move will see major improvements to stations, including making more fully accessible, as well as capped fares.” [3]
Greater Manchester will deliver major projects to drive green growth. “A pipeline of transport projects – including a tram line to Stockport and tram-train services connecting Oldham, Rochdale, Heywood and Bury, new Metrolink stops and modern new interchanges – will support the delivery of thousands of new homes, skilled jobs and green growth.” [3]
Greater Manchester’s current transport strategy is made up of a number of documents, including:
Greater Manchester Transport Strategy 2040.
A Five-Year Transport Delivery Plan 2021-2026 (including 10 local implementation plans).
Several supporting sub-strategies that all contribute to meeting regional transport ambitions and building the Bee Network.
In 2025, Greater Manchester are currently working on a new strategy – the Greater Manchester Transport Strategy 2050 – that will replace the current documents. [5]
You can find out more about the Greater Manchester Transport Strategy 2040 using these links:
The Greater Manchester Transport Strategy 2050 has been promoted by Mayor Andy Burnham. [8]
“Plans for a subway network in the city centre could become reality by 2050 if Greater Manchester makes good on ambitions set out within its latest rail strategy. … The 48-page strategy sets out a roadmap for the city region’s rail network, which needs to expand to keep pace with a growing population. … Among the highlights is the intention to develop an underground network by 2050.” [8]
“Starting at Piccadilly, where the city wishes to create a subterranean through-station as part of Northern Powerhouse Rail, the underground would provide increased network capacity without significant land take. … Taking Metrolink below ground [could] also minimise the disruption that would be caused if works were to take place at street level and push Manchester towards its target of doubling the number of intercity trips made by rail.” [8]
“The ripple effects of taking the network underground include easing the pressure on the Castlefield Corridor, ‘one of the most overburdened rail routes in the country’, according to the strategy.” [8]
The underground plan is just one part of the strategy for the city-region strategy that also includes upgrading stations, introducing tram-train technology on existing rail lines to widen the Metrolink’s reach, and delivering the Northern Arc – a new line between Manchester and Liverpool that would ultimately form part of Northern Powerhouse Rail. Land around rail hubs in the city region, including a huge development opportunity at Piccadilly similar in scale to that at Kings Cross, could support the delivery 75,000 new homes and unlock £90bn in economic uplift across the North West by 2050.
According to Andy Burnham, “Greater Manchester’s rail network plays a vital role in supporting [its] communities, powering [its] economy, and opening doors to opportunity – but for long has been held back from its true potential. … The way projects and services are planned and delivered is changing, with long needed reform giving the city-region a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reshape rail for Greater Manchester.” [8]
A year after the rail vision was unveiled a more simplified fare system on the Bee Network was announced. Andy Burnham said: “Simplifying rail fares is a key first step in making train travel easier and more accessible and the key to bringing local rail services into the Bee Network from December 2026. … Greater Manchester has a proud railway heritage, and our vision, developed with the industry, is about ensuring that everyone in our city-region can benefit from better connections, more reliable services, and a transport network that meets the needs of future generations.” [8]
Sitting beneath the city-region strategy is the more local SEMMMS (South-East Manchester Multi-Modal Strategy) which was settled in 2001 and the much later SEMMMS Refresh (2018) which identified measures required to meet future transportation needs in the Southeast of the city region centred on Stockport. These measures included: Metrolink/tram-train routes to Marple, Stockport town centre, the airport and Hazel Grove; segregated bus routes and bus priority schemes; improved rail services and new/ improved rail stations; new roads e.g. A6 to M60 Relief Road; new and improved walking and cycling routes and facilities on and off the highway; improved public realm in the district and local centres; creation of connected neighbourhoods that encourage the use of more sustainable forms of transport; the provision of transportation infrastructure needed to be supported by the introduction of smarter choices to encourage the use of sustainable transport. [9][10][11]
An extract from the TfGM plan for transport, looking forward towards 2040. It is intended that a tram-train service will run North from Stockport through Reddish, Denton and Guide Bridge to Ashton-under-Lyne. A similar service is planned to connect from Manchester Airport through Cheadle to Hazel Grove with a link North into Stockport to connect with the line through Denton. This schematic plan also shows the link from East Didsbury into Stockport. [12]
And finally …
Railway-News.com reported on 10th December 2025 that on 9th December 2025, TfGM Launched a Consultation on Future of Public Transport. The consultation invites people who live, work, travel, visit or study in Greater Manchester to help shape the future of the city region’s travel network by giving their views on the new GM Transport Strategy 2050, as well as the GM Transport Delivery Plan (2027-37). [13]
The proposed Plan will set out a framework “for how the Bee Network might be utilised to help Greater Manchester continue to become the growth capital of the UK through to 2050, whilst also addressing inequality and creating a greener city region.” [13]
The Consultation will run until 9th March 2026.
Backed by 2.5 billion GBP in government funding; TfGM’s plans “aim to deliver a number of transport projects through to the 2030s, resulting in what TfGM intends to be a world-class transport system. They will support both overall economic growth and the delivery of the new £1 billion Greater Manchester Good Growth Fund, which will in turn pump-prime a set of projects, drive growth and generation and ensure equal spending across the city region as a whole.” [13]
“The Bee Network is set to begin incorporating rail services by 2028, with TfGM aiming to provide 90% of the city region with five-minute access to a bus or tram that arrives at least every 30 minutes.” [13]
“GM transport strategy and delivery plans include keeping the local transport network safe and reliable via the renewal and maintenance of roads, Metrolink network and rail facilities; simplifying of fares, ticketing, bus services and introduction of new stops and services, as well as interchanges, Metrolink lines and expanded walking, wheeling and cycling networks; and the transformation of all local rail lines by incorporating them into the Bee Network.” [13]
“A detailed delivery programme listing schemes is set out in the GM Transport Delivery Plan 2027 – 2037, which is split into three phases, along with works in the regional centre and a wider ongoing set of works across the city region.” [13]
In addition to online feedback; a series of face-to-face drop-in sessions are planned to take place across Greater Manchester. The documents which are available to read online through clicking on these links:
For an overview of both documents, please click here. [16]
TfGM want to hear from anyone with an interest in the future of transport in Greater Manchester. They outline how you can respond here. [17] The deadline for participation is 9th March 2026.
Returning to where this article started, this is what the consultation draft of the Greater Manchester Transport Strategy 2050 document says about Stockport:
“Stockport town centre: Over the last decade, Stockport Council has spearheaded a £1bn transformation of its town centre. One of the UK’s largest town centre regeneration programmes, it has enabled the town to buck the trend of decline, with successful schemes across leisure, commercial and residential uses. Since 2019 Stockport Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC) has played a powerful role in accelerating this transformation, delivering a residential led masterplan for Stockport Town Centre West. The MDC is a radical new approach to tackling future housing need and the changing role of town centres, delivered through a unique collaboration between the GM Mayor and Stockport Council. It brings together powers devolved to the Greater Manchester Mayor, combined with strong local leadership from Stockport Council and the long-term commitment of the government’s housing agency, Homes England, to deliver an ambitious vision for the future of Stockport town centre. Over the past 6 years in collaboration with its many partner organisations the MDC moved from innovative concept to proven delivery vehicle, with over 170,000 sq. ft. new Grade A offices at Stockport Exchange, 1,200 new homes completed or on site and a state-of-the-art new transport Interchange with two-acre rooftop park. Reflecting this success and the Council’s continued growth ambitions, in 2025 the Council and GMCA agreed to expand the boundary of the MDC to cover the whole of the town centre and doubling its housing target to 8,000 homes by 2040.” [14]
A Strategic Outline Case (SOC) is the first part of developing a business case for major infrastructure projects. The two further stages are the Outline Business Case (OBC) followed by the Full Business Case (FBC). In the case of extending Metrolink to Stockport approval is required from the Department for Transport (DfT) to progress through each stage.
Roger Farnworth 