Money that would have been spent on railway station for closed Doncaster Sheffield Airport will go towards linking East Coast and Doncaster to Lincoln lines instead

Doncaster councillors have approved a final chunk of funding allowing them to commence with a £72m package of improvements to rail connections.

The council was awarded the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement back in April and have now approved a final £2million to go towards costs.

The figure will go towards expenses associated with the project such as staffing, consultation and design.

The full project was intended to include a new railway station at Doncaster Sheffield Airport, before its closure last month.

This element will be put on hold while attempts from the council to reopen the site are ongoing.

Other plans include a new rail connection to the Gateway East growth hub next to the existing business parks near the airport, and a connection joining the East Coast Main Line and the Doncaster to Lincoln line.

The Doncaster to Lincoln line runs close to the airport area and Finningley Station, which closed in 1961, served the old RAF base and was located only a mile away.

A link between the line and the East Coast Main Line would allow easy onward connections for rail freight operators.

Accessibility improvements and resurfacing will also be carried out at several stations in the area.

Some funding will go towards improving roads and bus connections including an overhaul of transport in Mexborough and changes to local roundabouts and junctions.

The South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) placed a bid for the fund in April by outlining the region’s transport programme for the next five years.

Doncaster’s share is part of a total of £570 million that was awarded to the South Yorkshire region.

The council’s Strategic Transportation team must now submit a business case to the SYMCA outlining the project plans, before the funding can be drawn down to Doncaster.