A bid to build a new train station north of York has received a boost after the government announced it would receive a share of a £15m funding pot aimed at reopening old railways.
The proposed railway station in Haxby, on the York to Scarborough line, is one of nine schemes across the country to benefit from the restoring your railway fund.
Haxby’s station closed in 1930, with numerous attempts made in recent years to reopen a station in the town.
Rail Minister Wendy Morton said: “The last time you could catch a train from Haxby Station was 1930, George V was on the throne and The Times had just published their first-ever crossword. But now, thanks to this funding, communities across England could be reconnected to our railways once more.”
York Outer MP Julian Sturdy, a long-standing supporter of a new station for Haxby, has lobbied for the government to support the bid.
It is not just York’s past which was built by railways but also our future. With new lines and better connections, we can attract high quality employment and better opportunities for generations to come.
I will keep pressure on the Department for Transport by lobbying for further rounds of funding for Haxby Railway Station as well as use the potential improved commuter links as another reason why York would be an excellent home for Great British Railways.
More than 80 per cent of residents and businesses support a new station being built in Haxby, according to City of York Council’s recent consultation data.
But there has been controversy over the proposed site on Towthorpe Road.
Haxby Town Council said the location was “not ideal” and that it should be located adjacent to the proposed dual carriageway (A1237).
The council was also considering land at Station Road, closer to the centre of Haxby, but that site was considered less attractive – primarily because the authority does not own it.
Labour’s transport spokesperson, Coun Rachel Melly, has said the site was “chosen purely for expedience.”
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By autumn, the council is hoping to submit its application for funding to the Department for Transport to help unlock the additional funding needed to deliver the railway station, with the hope that a new station could be built in 2024.
The total project cost is currently estimated to be approximately £15m.