Opened in 1909, by the London and North Western Railway company,[1] it takes its name from the Cheshire station of Styal, the last stop before the junction at Wilmslow.

[3] Between May 2018 and December 2022, the line operated on a skip-stop basis, with each station having a dedicated express service to Liverpool Lime Street, Preston, Blackpool North and Windermere.

In the early twentieth century, the line between Manchester London Road (now called Piccadilly station) and Stockport became unable to cope with the increasing traffic.

To solve the problem, a new route avoiding Stockport was constructed by the London and North Western Railway; it ran from Slade Lane Junction, located in Longsight, to Wilmslow through what was then mainly a rural area.

The primary purpose was to provide a bypass for express trains, but a few wooden stations were built on the line to encourage suburban development.

[5] Following the Styal line tests, it was decided to adopt the 25 kV system across the electrified Great Britain rail network, outside the Southern Region.

[6] There was a half-hourly electric service (Monday - Saturday) between Manchester Oxford Road and Alderley Edge, operated by Class 304 EMUs.

[citation needed] In 2006, the platforms at Mauldeth Road, Burnage, East Didsbury and Gatley stations were all reconstructed, as well as access improvements at Heald Green; patronage on the line increased after this investment.

[11] TransPennine Express run through services, via Manchester Piccadilly, from across the north of England; these include to Redcar Central, via Leeds and York, operated by Class 185s.