THE QUEEN'S royal train could be put on public show in York after the country's finance watchdogs decided it was too expensive.

Although future plans for the regal vehicle are far from being finalised, staff at the city's National Railway Museum said they would want to see it join other exhibits in its extensive royal collection.

The museum already houses royal saloons and carriages in its Palaces on Wheels exhibit.

David Wright, the attraction's curator of collections, said: "We would certainly want to represent one of the vehicles from the present train in our collection.

"Our standpoint on this, as with all royal carriages, is that we are anxious to see them preserved and presented to the public in the best possible way.

"Maybe we would decide that there are better places for it to be presented because we do have space restrictions, but we would certainly consider it."

MPs on the Public Accounts Committee, the Commons financial watchdog, claim the train is currently under-used and expensive.

It says the Queen must consider "leasing from a commercial operator" if a Buckingham Palace review currently under way decides a train is still needed.

There has been a royal train since 1842, but the current one was used only 17 times in 2000-01, at a cost to taxpayers of £600,000. Extensive use this yerr during the Golden Jubilee tour is considered exceptional.

The National Railway Museum's current royal collection includes Queen Victoria's last service saloon and a royal carriage withdrawn from service in 1977.

A museum spokeswoman said: "They really are beautiful and one of the most popular exhibitions that we have here."

If the train, or part of it, is offered to the museum it would have to follow set procedures to ensure it would be the best place to put it on show.

Mr Wright said: "It would come through the Railway Heritage Committee, on which we are represented.

"We would discuss with other interested parties what we would like to see happen to the train.

"If the National Railway Museum is offered it, we would then discuss internally what we wanted to do."

Updated: 11:37 Thursday, September 05, 2002