THE decision on a scheme to create a long-awaited commuter rail link on the edge of York is on track to be made early in the New Year.

Track operator Network Rail is expected to decide within the next few months whether it can press ahead with building a new station at Haxby.

The firm is carrying out a planning assessment of issues surrounding the potential station and deciding how trains using it could be factored into its future timetables before coming to any conclusions. City of York Council has already picked out a favoured site for the rail facility should it come to fruition – a patch of land just south of Towthorpe Road/Station Road level crossing. But even if Network Rail decides it can pursue the scheme, it is likely to be 2013 before the first trains could call there.

In a report which will go before a meeting of the council next week, executive member for city strategy, Coun Steve Galloway, said he hoped the Haxby station picture would become clearer before the end of the year, although Network Rail says it expects to make its next update to the council early in 2010.

“While slow progress is being made on essential planning work by Network Rail, which must be completed before a decision can be made on the future of rail halt facilities in Haxby, I continue to regard this as an important project,” said Coun Galloway.

“I hope that a positive outcome will result.”

If the station is created, it would cater for passengers travelling between York and Scarborough, with the possibility of ultimately adding extra halts at York Hospital and Strensall.

The preferred site would cost an estimated £4.954 million, plus the additional costs of building a car park and buying up land.

A spokeswoman for Network Rail said: “We are still working very closely with the council to meet their aspirations and their deadline, and we are very much moving onward.

“As well as the actual design of the station, we have to consider the December 2010 timetable and we are currently doing work with that timetable to identify how we can make the necessary line speed changes. The next stage will be reporting back to the council early next year.”