A TAXI drivers' leader has hit out at the forthcoming removal of the cab rank from outside York Railway Station.

Council and railway bosses revealed yesterday that they were removing the rank from the middle of Station Road as part of a £460,000 scheme to upgrade the station entrance.

Taxis will instead wait in an area set aside within the station's long stay car park before driving into the portico to pick up passengers.

But Alan Rowley, secretary of the York Taxi Driver Association, said drivers - who could currently use the Station Road rank without charge - would only be able to use the new waiting area if they paid GNER a fee.

"This will create a monopoly for GNER," he claimed, adding that passengers could end up waiting longer for taxis at busy times.

He said of York's 158 hackney carriages, only 111 paid GNER a £428 fee to pick up passengers from the portico.

The others could pick up from the Station Road rank and this created extra capacity at busy times when people were pouring out of the station.

He said: "It's a mess. Plans were first drawn up in 2002 and have been changed so many times it's unbelievable."

However, there was a less critical reaction from Ian Gillies, secretary of Station Taxis, whose taxis already pay the fee to use the portico.

He said the loss of the Station Road rank would mean the loss of six spaces, but it had been reluctantly accepted as part of wider changes to the road system.

He said that at least the new waiting area was being created for taxis, and he claimed very few passengers used taxis waiting in the Station Road rank.

A GNER spokesman said: "The improvements to the front of York station will deliver better and safer access for all rail passengers. It's an excellent example of partnership between GNER, the city council, Network Rail, Station Taxis, retailers and other operators - and the plans were widely discussed before work started.

"There is no commercial gain to GNER from these changes. It's all about providing improved access for passengers. The current taxi rank in the middle of the road, outside the station, is not part of GNER's remit and is managed by the city council who have direct responsibility for highway matters."

Other aspects of the station entrance improvements include a new zebra crossing between the Royal York Hotel and the station, a new puffin crossing in Station Road, cycle lanes in Station Road, dropped kerbs at all crossings, wider pavements and a gyratory system in Tea Room Square for all traffic emerging from the portico.

Paul Hepworth, of North Yorkshire Cyclists Touring Club, gave a cautious welcome to the new cycle lanes.

He said they would be an improvement - provided motorists respected the rules.

Updated: 10:30 Tuesday, April 05, 2005