CAMPAIGNERS have made fresh calls for the York to Beverley railway to be re-opened, after the major road that links the city and the market town was named and shamed as one of the worst in Britain.

George McManus, chairman of the Minsters’ Rail Campaign – which has been pushing for the reopening of the line – said the need for alternative transport links has been highlighted by a report carried out by the Road Safety Foundation for the European Road Assessment Programme.

According to the report, the section of the A1079 between Market Weighton and Hull is the seventh most hazardous stretch of road in the UK – with 69 fatal or serious accidents recorded between 2003 and 2005 alone. Earlier this month, The Press told how a four-vehicle smash on the A1079 at Dunnington left eight people injured – including three children – all of whom required treatment at York Hospital.

Mr McManus, a former mayor of Pocklington, said the death and accident toll on the road is “scandalous” and said the report reflected the “desperate need for alternative transport links”.

The report came out as Minsters’ Rail Campaign members met transport minister Lord Adonis in Hull today. Mr McManus said: “With agricultural traffic, HGVs and cars all using a road with long straight stretches, multiple accesses and sharp bends, we have a potential recipe for disaster.”

“In order to go anywhere in this region, you have no choice but to use the road, whether it’s for work, to go shopping or to access other services and it doesn’t even matter if you get the bus.

“The East Yorkshire Motor Services bus company provides excellent services but they inevitably get stuck in traffic jams as well.

“We do not support attempts to build new a dual carriageway as we feel this will only make the problems worse.

“A real alternative is needed and we will be saying so when we meet the minister.”

Mr McManus said the original line closed in 1965, following the Beeching Report.

He said that if it reopened, it would provide a direct link between Hull and York, with fast connections to Driffield and Bridlington.

The MRC has argued previously that the reopened rail line would help improve safety on the busy A1079.

The Department for Transport has previously said reopening lines is not necessary to meet rising demand for rail travel.

But local councils could fund reopenings if they believed it was the best way to address local transport issues.