Petition calls for Ryedale rail link to reopen (From York Press)

The NYMR own the stretch of line from Pickering (at least as far as Grosmont) and run plenty of services. They won't want to let 'normal' trains run along their track, so the best you can hope for is York to Pickering...which wouldn't be worth the cost.

It would be lovely, but for the foreseeable future you'll just have to go the long way round if you want to get to Whitby by train.

Use the money to build commuter stations in places like Strensall...that would be more useful to the taxpayer.

What about the buildings occupying the trackbed in Pickering, and the opposition there'd be in the town? I'm all for restoration as a transport link (e.g. Beverley-York), but sadly don't see this one as viable.

Completely pointless, and nothing more than political posturing by Whitby Town Council. It won't happen, and it would be a waste of money of it did.

Coastliner run buses about 3 times a day to Whitby, slightly more in summer, which are included in national rail timetables, and while these buses are popular, 3 buses a day certainly doesn't suggest there's enough people travelling to justify rebuilding a railway line.

NYMR is a private enterprise that owns 18 miles of the the route, and one of the most popular heritage railways in the world, and any intrusion by mainline trains would jeopardise their business, so they would – quite rightly – demand a lot of compensation. Plus the tracks would probably need to be re-laid to meet the standards needed for mainline trains to run at higher speeds, which would be expensive.

An old picture. When was the last time a 158 stopped at Malton? (and don't say "Twenty past nine...").

A pig just flew past my window!
It told me that the moon was made of cheese which is more likely than this line re-opening

Many projects have taken place simply because there was a big public demand, a huge nostalgia factor and an expected tourist attraction as well. I don't think the Heritage Railway would be affected as the reconnection to Pickering would only make it easier for people to take a day trip there from York and beyond and then continue on to Whitby through the moors. I'll be the first passenger !!! I hope Beeching is turning in his grave !!

I have been hoping this link would open for years. And back in about 2008/9 I know a company involved in railways had been doing up computer designs of placement for tracks and associated equipment - but this was only to be opposite the NYMR station, no join at all - not even an unbarriered crossing only used once or twice a week.

Bus connections to/from Whitby are irregular simply because of the length of the route (this brings in EU and DfT rules about driver working hours) and the length of time it takes to get there. Currently the only way to Whitby by train from York is via Middlesbrough, the last train returning from Whitby at 4pm, and the last bus doesn't leave much later than that either.

Whilst the NYMR does have some point about modern trains probably not blending well with the heritage trains, there are other places in the country where new trains run alongside a heritage railway on the same lines. At the very least, NYMR could charge the Train Operating Company some track access charges, or the TOC could fund a complete relaying of the route (including doubling or at least making passing loops) which in turn would provide a nicer ride for NYMR passengers and reduce journey times so provide a regular timetable. The other option could be a single line parallel to, but not joined to, the NYMR tracks - the National Rail route using their track and NYMR their own track independant of each other with their own signalling and platforms. Whitby is likely to get a second platform built for NYMR trains, so the passenger base is there for services through to scarborough at least. And if timetabled properly with a second platform at Malton, you could technically get a half-hourly service between York and Scarborough, with an hourly service to Whitby leaving malton and about 5 minutes later a service from Whitby arrives into Malton and reverses out to Scarborough. Also think of this, How close could the new rail line be built for a stop serving Flamingo Land? In the summer that would be quite a busy stop, especially if the services are to/from Leeds. The key to reopening the route is not looking at it as a self-contained Malton-to-Whitby shuttle, but within a grander scope of services going right in to the heart of West Yorkshire. Let's also remember some of the points for a new East Coast franchise have flagged up there are currently no direct services between Scarborough and London... and these might be taken up when the new Hitachi trains arrive to replace the Intercity 125's in a few years. Add in a service that happens to connect either to or from the London service and you're then looking at drawing people to the North York Moors (via Pickering) and Whitby from places like Nottinghamshire, East Anglia, and London itself.