Green light sought for £24m town railway station

Plans for a new  railway station at Haxby, near York, took a step forward on Thursday when Network Rail submitted a planning application and released new images of the proposed development.

If approved the £24m project, funded by the City of York Council and the Department for Transport,  will be the first railway station in Haxby, on the York-Scarborough line, in nearly a century. The previous station closed in 1930.

The application seeks consent for two platforms connected by a footbridge, and a 154-space car park including EV charging spaces, a taxi rank and bus stop.

If consent is granted, Network Rail will draw up detailed plans, with construction due to start in spring 2025.

Iain Kelly, Network Rail’s project sponsor for Haxby station, said: “The submission of this planning application is a major milestone in the development of Haxby station. A lot of behind-the-scenes work by Network Rail and City of York Council has taken place to get the project to this stage and we are ready to press ahead with delivering a station local residents can be proud of.

“Haxby’s new station will provide residents with greater connectivity and offer more sustainable transport methods which tie in with Network Rail’s ambition to be simpler, better and greener.”

Cllr Pete Kilbane, deputy leader of City of York Council and executive member for economy and transport said: “This is a significant step towards bringing a railway station back to Haxby.

“We have been working closely with Network Rail to progress this project and look forward to making this become a reality. If approved, a new station at Haxby would greatly improve public transport in the north of the city, reducing the need for people to travel by car. This is in line with our council plan priority of ‘sustainable, accessible transport for all’.

“This application will now go through the independent planning process and I would urge anyone to have a look at the plans and share your comments.”