A FRESH campaign to reopen a railway station at Haxby will be launched at a public meeting next month.

Railfuture Yorkshire, a voluntary group campaigning for better rail services, is organising the meeting at Wigginton Recreation Hall at 7.30pm on Wednesday, February 20.

York Outer MP Julian Sturdy is scheduled to speak, and there are plans for speakers from City of York Council and Trans-Pennine Express to attend.

A spokesman said a station had been proposed at Haxby for some years, and the last initiative to reopen it had foundered as recently as 2010, when funding was withdrawn.

“The business case for the station is, we believe, positive and a cost was put on the station of £7.4 million in 2009,” he said.

“With increased rail usage nationwide and a heavily congested road network, we believe now is the time for Haxby station to reopen.”

He said Railfuture was hoping members of the local community would come forward to take over the running of the action group and support local politicians in achieving funding. Plans to reopen the station date back at least 15 years.