Rishi Sunak visits York ahead of HS2 meeting in Yorkshire

Rishi Sunak visited the site of the new Haxby railway station.

The original station closed in 1930, but plans to reopen it were part of Prime Minister’s ‘Network North’ plan that diverted money from the partly ditched HS2 project.

Mr Sunak met the chief executive of Network Rail Andrew Haines and York Outer MP Julian Sturdy at the site which is on the York to Scarborough line.

Julian Sturdy (left), Conservative MP for York Outer and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, during a visit to a location on the site of the future Haxby railway station near York (Image: Jon Super/PA)

The station, which may cost around £24 million and could open in 2026, is planned to relieve road traffic into the historic city centre.

Mr Sunak looked at plans for the station, which is still in the design process, then spoke to Network Rail employees.

An artist's impression of the new Haxby Station (Image: Supplied)

He said the decision to scrap the northern leg of HS2 and put money into local transport schemes would be “transformational”.

The government earmarked £4.7 billion of funding for the north and Midlands.

Julian Sturdy MP, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Andrew Haines, chief executive of Network Rail and Anna Weeks, principal programme sponsor of Network Rail, during the visit in Haxby (Image: Jon Super/PA)

With a general election looming and the Tories desperate to hold on to red wall seats in former Labour heartlands, the Prime Minister gathered his senior team in northern England for a cabinet meeting to highlight the transport funding.

The north of England will be allocated £2.5 billion and the Midlands will receive £2.2 billion from money previously earmarked for the axed high-speed rail line, but the funding will not be made available until April 2025.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at the Haxby station site (Image: Jon Super/PA)

Plans to reallocate HS2 funding will be 'transformational', says Prime Minister

Mr Sunak told BBC Radio York: “We could have carried on with a project that was going to cost well over £100 billion, take decades and have a very specific set of benefits, whereas I made a different decision.

“I said ‘I’m going to take that money, and instead I’m going to give it to local areas to spend on their local transport priorities’.”

He added: “Our plans are already delivering benefits to people and, I think, will be transformational for spreading opportunity, improving connectivity across the North and Midlands in a way that’s never happened before.”

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak arrives to visit a location on the site of the future Haxby railway station near York (Image: Jon Super/PA Wire)

Mr Sturdy said it was "fantastic" to welcome the Prime Minister to York.

The Conservative MP said the government's "commitment to our region is clear", noting funding received for dualling the A1237 Outer Ring Road and Haxby railway station.

"The Prime Minister was eager to see plans for the new railway station remain on track so residents can benefit from the return of passenger services to the north of York as soon as possible," the Mr Sturdy said.

"The government has now provided funding for dualling the ring road and a new railway station, it is now for City of York Council and local stakeholders to deliver these projects."

The visit to Yorkshire and the Humber will be the first time Mr Sunak has held a regional cabinet outside of conference season since he took office in 2022.

Mr Sunak was expected to use Monday’s cabinet meeting to say that ministers and MPs would hold local authorities to account to ensure the transport fund is used appropriately.

• Read next: 'Get on with it': Haxby station planning application date delayed

Transport secretary Mark Harper was also expected to update ministerial colleagues on the delivery of Network North – the Government’s overarching plan to replace HS2’s northern leg.

The exact location of the meeting has not been released.

Communities 'sick and tired' of empty promises, says Labour

Labour ridiculed what it described as a “back of a fag packet plan” and said communities are “sick and tired” of empty promises.

Shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh said: “The Tories have failed and local people are sick and tired of this Government taking them for fools.

“Only the Conservatives could have the brass neck to promise yet another ‘transformation’ of transport infrastructure in the Midlands and North after 14 years of countless broken promises to do just that.”

Luke Charters, Labour parliamentary candidate for York Outer, said: "This reheating of old announcements shows that the Conservatives are out of ideas.

"Only the Tories would have the gall to promise 'transformation' of our transport infrastructure after 14 years of inaction and broken promises."

He added: "Labour will reform our broken transport system by taking back control of buses, and bringing the railways back into public ownership." 

York Liberal Democrats welcomed the announcement from the Prime Minister that Haxby station will be reopened.

Cllr Andrew Hollyer, the Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for York Outer, said: "The project is one that progressed rapidly under the previous Liberal Democrat administration following our initial investment of £50,000 to produce a business case. 

“Residents in Haxby, Wigginton and the surrounding villages cannot wait to get their new station so that they can easily travel to York and beyond.

"Haxby station will be a major boost to residents in the northern villages and a major boost for our environment with a reduction of car journeys into York."