HAVING recently moved to this area, I was on the net one day trying to find out about the history of Haxby. After watching the Flying Scotsman pass, I was curious to discover where Haxby train station was because I knew there used to be one.

After not much success, I found your This Is York website and an article about how plans to re-open a station at Haxby had been put forward. This said: "The station was proposed and accepted by the council in 1997."

The new station seems to have had funding setbacks, with the Strategic Rail Authority firstly announcing that it was suspending funding for a number of proposed local rail schemes. Then the SRA reviewed plans and all was back on track. The latest article I can find was from January 2002 quoting: "Transport chief Stephen Byers has been asked to block plans for a new train station in Haxby."

This was following some constituents expressing their concern over the proposed re-opening and the effect it would have on traffic. Are these people real? Are they expecting hordes of people to come to Haxby to use the train?

The idea of the station is to ease traffic in and out of York, not increase it!

I am now struggling to find out any more news on the topic and would be grateful for any updates.

Simon Jobling,

Longcroft, Wigginton.

Updated: 10:55 Monday, August 08, 2005