Plans for £4.5m new railway station set to be suspended

York Council is expected to halt work on the 4.5m scheme at Haxby until the autumn due to the uncertainty over funding which can be secured from Westminster as Ministers attempt to curb the national deficit.

The long-running campaign to create the new station dates back more than a decade after the scheme was first mooted in the mid-1990s, although the council has been involved in planning the project for the last seven years.

York Council's executive member for city strategy, Coun Steve Galloway, confirmed that the Government had told the authority to halt work on the proposals for four or five months until a clearer picture emerges whether funding will be available.

Coun Galloway said: "It is obviously disappointing, but we are still hopeful that the plans for the new station will be looked on favourably by the Government once a root and branch review has been carried out.

"The coalition Government has indicated that it will look favourably on public transport schemes, and this obviously fits the criteria. It is a scheme that stands a good chance of securing funding once an objective study is carried out, although money is extremely tight at the moment.

"I would hope that Yorkshire in general secures its fair share of public transport funding, because the region has fared badly in the past.

"The previous Government focused funding on the South-East, and there is a strong argument for Yorkshire to get a greater slice of the cash that is available."

The station would serve a local population of about 22,000 and it would be on the cross-Pennine network with trains running to Scarborough, York, Leeds and Manchester.

It is also hoped that the introduction of the station, which has yet to secure planning permission, would also help curb traffic congestion blackspots on the city's outer ring road and the A64.

However, Coun Galloway admitted that there had already been difficulties getting a consensus between the local communities, train operators and Network Rail for the scheme.

Coun Galloway is due to approve plans on July 6 to suspend work on the project until the funding situation is clarified.