Long-awaited Haxby station near York back on after government confirms support

The long-running plan to build a new station at Haxby on the York-Scarborough line has been backed by the government.

The two-platform will give the North Yorkshire town a station for the first time since the original station was closed in 1930.

The £24 project million (at 2024 prices) has been in the pipeline for some time, with a submission to the New Station Fund in 2020 followed by Network Rail submittng a planning application in February 2024.

A determination of the application is expected later this year with the aim of being operational in 2028.

Speaking later year, Network Rail had hoped plans would be approved in 2024 to allow for construction from spring 2025 and opening in 2026.

Dispute receiving around £3.5m from the Restoring Your Railway (RYR) fund and listed in the Conservative’s Network North scheme, Haxby, like other infrastructure projects, it was put on hold by Labour’s Spending Review following its election victory last year. The RYR fund was also shut down.

Last year City of York Council said it had set aside £4m for the plans and hope to continue with the project.

Confirming Haxby is part of the Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline, the current government said the new station would bring 20,000 residents within 2.4km (1.5 miles) of a train service and could support prospective developments for 3,155 homes.

Councillor Claire Douglas, Leader of City of York Council, said: “With more homes being built across the city, this station is needed more than ever. It will take some pressure off the Outer Ring Road and reduce car journeys from the area into the city centre, helping to ease congestion on our roads, making it easier for everyone to get around.

“The project still needs planning approval and we are following that process through, but this funding certainty is a welcome step forward for a project long in the making.”

Calls for a new station at Haxby go back decades, with the first plans to allocate funding being announced in 1997.

In 2022 RAIL reported how a public consultation over the reopening produced an 81% positive response rate from 1,200 participants.

It is set to feature a fully accessible footbridge with lifts and steps, bike sheds, a 154-space car park (including EV charging), taxi rank and bus stop. Shared-use paths to connect the station with residential areas for those travelling by foot and bicycle are also included in the plans.

Elsewhere, the government also pledged funding for new stations at Wellington and Cullompton in Somerset and Devon respectively.

It also said it would complete the delivery of Cambridge South station, which is nearing completion and due to open next year.

When asked why the government had listed those projects but not others such as Beulieu Park in Essex (due to open in late 2025), the Department for Transport said those mentioned “are part of the Rail Enhancements Pipeline and those not mentioned were funded in other ways”.

“Of those mentioned, the ones that are already under construction – the funding is to finish the projects.”