CAMPAIGNERS fighting to bring a disused railway line back into operation have reacted with delight to new Government backing for the scheme.

They now hope the Countryside Agency will add its support for the resurrection of the Malton to Pickering line.

The long-held dream of reopening the link was boosted when the Countryside Agency, the Government's voice in rural areas, launched a major new report: Railway Reopenings - An Audit For Yorkshire And The Humber.

It says reopening the railway from Malton (Rillington junction) to Pickering and through to Grosmont, which was closed in 1965, is feasible.

"Reopening the line from Malton to Pickering would be the first step in allowing through running of services from York and beyond to Whitby," says the report.

"The substantial market in West Yorkshire and the south could access Whitby and the North York Moors far more easily from the Malton direction, halving the journey from West Yorkshire. Residents of Whitby would have an improved link to York and the south with connections to frequent GNER and Virgin services."

David Fanaroff, of the Countryside Agency in Yorkshire, said: "We are looking to the long term. We want to make sure that disused railways are protected from development which would make it harder to bring them back into use. We also want to support more detailed feasibility studies on particular routes."

County Councillor Murray Naylor, a keen supporter of the reopening of the line, welcomed the agency's support.

He said: "Reopening rural railways such as the link between Malton and Pickering has a lot of potential if we could only get the funding. Such a scheme could be a trailblazer for the future."

He said he now hoped that the Countryside Agency could persuade the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) to fund the project. While £19 million was "a staggering sum" there were no practical difficulties why the link could not be reopened.

"It would generate many economic advantages for Malton, Pickering and Whitby," said Coun Naylor.

He was disappointed that the SRA had said it could not afford to further the project at present. "A great deal of hard work was put into the initial feasibility scheme by North Yorkshire County Council officers and I do hope it can be progressed," he said.

"The Malton to Pickering rail link would be a great asset to Ryedale."

Ryedale District Council is seeking to change its planning blueprint policy on the Malton to Pickering rail link, supporting the project and the feasibility investigation.

Pickering Town Council has now supported the idea, but Coun Betsy Hill, who is also a member of the County Council, said she was concerned that if the plan "goes on in perpetuity" it would cause planning blight.

"It should be included for the life of the Ryedale Local Plan and then reviewed," she said.

Updated: 08:56 Tuesday, May 06, 2003