New station at Haxby

[Killingworth]

Apologies if this has a thread elsewhere. Appeared on BBC's North Yorkshire website news page, presumably on air in that region; https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-68446810

Haxby: Network Rail's £24m new railway station plans submitted​

• • Published
    3 days ago

Share

IMAGE SOURCE,NETWORK RAIL
Image caption,
Network Rail has submitted a planning application for a new railway station in Haxby
By Rachel Russell
BBC News

Plans for a new £24m railway station near York have been submitted.
Network Rail said the proposed station at Towthorpe Road, Haxby, would be the town's first rail link for almost a century.
Plans for the station were confirmed last year with funding coming from the government's Network North scheme.
Network Rail said the plans would offer "sustainable transport" methods to residents, but some people in the town have expressed doubts about the scheme.
Network Rail said that if planning consent is granted, the final plans will be completed this year, with construction expected to start on site in spring 2025.
Images of the plans show an accessible footbridge with lifts and steps connecting the two platforms, bike shelters, a 154-space car park (including EV charging), taxi rank and a bus stop.
Iain Kelly, Network Rail's project sponsor for Haxby station, called the planning application "a major milestone in the development of Haxby station".
"Haxby's new station will provide residents with greater connectivity and offer more sustainable transport methods which tie in with Network Rail's ambition to be simpler, better and greener," he said.
The station will sit on the York to Scarborough railway line. The town's original station closed in 1930.

IMAGE SOURCE,NETWORK RAIL
Image caption,
Images of the plans show an accessible footbridge with lifts and steps connecting the two platforms
The plans prompted a mixed reaction on one of the town's Facebook groups.
One person branded it a "waste of money" and said for £24m they could of have had "a new doctor's surgery, school, or some potholes filled to make the roads safe for cyclists".
Another expressed concerns about the location of the proposed station.
"Not somewhere I would like, as a female travelling alone, to disembark at night," she wrote.
However, other people praised the plans, with one writing that they could not "wait to commute to Leeds without having to park at York Station and hit all the horrendous traffic through the city centre".
A second person said it would be "great for residents of Strensall and Haxby".
"Instead of having to sit on the bus or in their car, they can hop on the train and get straight to Leeds with ease," they wrote.
The BBC has approached Network Rail for a response to some of the concerns raised by residents.

 

[swt_passenger]

I think Haxby is still at the stage of being updated in the sticky new stations thread, the NR announcement the BBC article is based on was posted last week:

New Station calendar

I have updated the table to reflect changes in the programme for the Northumberland line - route and four stations (of six) now expected to open late this year (November / December) with two stations opening 'six months' later. See the linked thread for more information.

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[Killingworth]

Network Rail's announcement; https://www.networkrailmediacentre....ltimillion-pound-station-development-in-haxby

Thursday 29 Feb 2024

New images released and planning application submitted for multimillion pound station development in Haxby​

Region & Route: Eastern | Eastern: North & East
New images have been released showing what Haxby’s new multimillion pound station could look like after the submission of a planning application, bringing the reconnection of the town and neighbouring areas to the UK rail network a step closer.

Just days after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s visit to the proposed site, Network Rail, in partnership with City of York Council and the Department for Transport, has submitted a planning application to build a new, two platform railway station in the town.

The station, located on Towthorpe Road, will be part of the York to Scarborough line and be the town’s first rail connection in almost 100 years after the previous station was closed in 1930.

The £24m project is being delivered by Network Rail through funding from the Department for Transport and City of York Council. Subject to planning consent being granted, final detailed designs will be completed throughout the remainder of 2024, with construction expected to start on site in spring 2025.

The new images show what the station could look like in the future, with a fully accessible footbridge with lifts and steps connecting the two platforms, bike shelters, a 154-space car park (including EV charging), taxi rank and a bus stop. Shared-use paths will connect the station to residential areas of Haxby for those travelling to the station on foot or by bicycle.

So far, around £3.5m has been provided from the Restoring Your Railways fund, which aims to support the reinstatement of old lines and stations.

Network Rail has already carried out ground surveys at the proposed station site. The new station is expected to enter service in 2026.

Iain Kelly, Network Rail’s Project Sponsor for Haxby station, said: “The submission of this planning application is a major milestone in the development of Haxby station. A lot of behind-the-scenes work by Network Rail and City of York Council has taken place to get the project to this stage and we are ready to press ahead with delivering a station local residents can be proud of.

“Haxby’s new station will provide residents with greater connectivity and offer more sustainable transport methods which tie in with Network Rail’s ambition to be simpler, better and greener.”

Councillor Pete Kilbane, Deputy Leader of City of York Council and Executive Member for Economy and Transport said: “This is a significant step towards bringing a railway station back to Haxby.

“We have been working closely with Network Rail to progress this project and look forward to making this become a reality. If approved, a new station at Haxby would greatly improve public transport in the north of the city, reducing the need for people to travel by car. This is in line with our Council Plan priority of ‘sustainable, accessible transport for all’.

“This application will now go through the independent planning process and I would urge anyone to have a look at the plans and share your comments.”

The planning application can be viewed at www.york.gov.uk/planningapplications under reference number 24/00325/FULM.

You can also comment by email to planning.comments@york.gov.uk or by post to Development Management, City of York Council, West Offices, York YO1 6GA.

 

[lachlan]

Frustrating that we have a station on the edge of town when there is a site identified in the centre (where the petrol station is) which also has empty fields beside it that could be used for parking. Drivers being prioritised over pedestrians and cyclists sadly

 

[yoyothehobo]

Frustrating that we have a station on the edge of town when there is a site identified in the centre (where the petrol station is) which also has empty fields beside it that could be used for parking. Drivers being prioritised over pedestrians and cyclists sadly

I cant imagine a worse site in a town to build on than a petrol station, they are generally a nightmare to remediate and build on.

 

[lachlan]

I cant imagine a worse site in a town to build on than a petrol station, they are generally a nightmare to remediate and build on.

Given the station will likely be there for decades to come, it makes sense to get it in the right place. Perhaps they'll surround the new station in houses and the new site will make more sense.

 

[185]

A park and ride station, 2.6km from the centre of Haxby, attractive to car users not public transport users, who'll probably still get the bus.

If it was built at the site of the old station at Haxby LC, wouldn't need lifts, footbridge, car park and would be a fraction the £24M cost.

The money saved would pay for another station at Strensall assuming that one won't have an expensive pair of unnecessary lifts & footbridge either.

 

[yoyothehobo]

A park and ride station, 2.6km from the centre of Haxby, attractive to car users not public transport users, who'll probably still get the bus.

If it was built at the site of the old station at Haxby LC, wouldn't need lifts, footbridge, car park and would be a fraction the £24M cost.

The money saved would pay for another station at Strensall assuming that one won't have an expensive pair of unnecessary lifts & footbridge either.

Not sure where you get 2.6km from the centre of Haxby from, considering the furthest bit of Haxby from the new station is 2.4 km.

A station at the old level crossing location would impact 13 residential properties and one industrial property, it would be considerably more difficult to build. If you split it either side of the road you still have major constructability issues.

Its all well and good huffing and puffing going grrr i could do it cheaper without considering other aspects.

Its also worth pointing out that even if you dont provide a car park, at this location people will still want to park and ride so will cause issues and congestion parking in residential streets

 

[185]

Not sure where you get 2.6km from the centre of Haxby from.

Literally just measured the walking route via Towthorpe Road on Google Maps. Wigginton Hall to New Station Location = 33 min on foot 0.9km per 10 mins.

A bus to York takes just over 15 mins... why would anyone bother?

Should dump the allotments and stick it there with access from the level crossing.

 

[yoyothehobo]

Literally just measured the walking route via Towthorpe Road on Google Maps. Wigginton Hall to New Station Location = 33 min on foot 0.9km per 10 mins.

A bus to York takes just over 15 mins... why would anyone bother?

Should dump the allotments and stick it there with access from the level crossing.

That route assumes there is no foot access from the west, if there is its a 1.8km walk from the hall (which is hardly the centre) against 1.4km to the level crossing site...

The majority of people who are going to go into York are still going to use the bus, York station is too far the other side of the city centre from the majority of places you want to travel in York if you are going to work/shop.

If you want to get to the railway station, then this will be used as a park and ride so every reason for it not to be in the centre of the village.

 

[Doctor Fegg]

for £24m they could of have had

Ye gods. Even the BBC can't get "could have" right.

 

[HST43257]

It's truly a terrible location, and as many have mentioned, Haxby doesn't need the York service given the bus is nice and quick and frequent.

Whilst it's a smaller place, Strensall is much more car dominated as the bus takes ages - might pop a speculative thread up as I think that should've been the new station.

Strensall station should've been built, not Haxby

As per the title, though it's probably something of an insult to even call that station Haxby given how far north it is. Strensall is 2 minutes further out of York by rail, but has much worse bus usage I hear, because it takes a fair bit longer and stops a lot (given it covers a longer...

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[Killingworth]

I know most on this Forum are enthusiastic supporters of railway transport but an early objection on the planning site may be making reasonable points?

IMO, it is a waste of money, is not needed and will be under-used. Haxby has a high percentage of pensioners. If these pensioners want to go into the city centre they will go by bus, as they run every 15 minutes, have bus stops every 200 yds or so, so more convenient, and it will be no cost to them. Why would they want to use the train? They would need to walk or drive (as no bus route) a mile out of Haxby in the opposite direction, then wait, at best, 1 hour for a train, then pay for the journey. I just can not envisage any pensioner preferring a train journey to a bus journey if wanting to go into the city centre.

Even if all 140 car parking spaces are used there wouldn't be many passengers boarding each train. However drop off is an often overlooked and underestimated factor at many stations. Walking and cycling in the flat areas around Haxby is likely to be more common than in hillier regions. Looking at the map there seems to be scope for more housing to the north of the station.

The objector may have overlooked the 13 and 14 buses that terminate at West Nooks and look likely to be extended to the new station.

 

[HST43257]

The objector may have overlooked the 13 and 14 buses that terminate at West Nooks and look likely to be extended to the new station.

This is pedantic I know, but I've read that York council are trying to get the 13 terminating in Haxby centre and run a new 1A (hourly, a halving of frequency) to West Nooks. Also the potential for the 14 to come under the same contract as the 12 and abandon Haxby.

 

[Baxenden Bank]

I think Haxby is still at the stage of being updated in the sticky new stations thread, the NR announcement the BBC article is based on was posted last week:

New Station calendar

I have updated the table to reflect changes in the programme for the Northumberland line - route and four stations (of six) now expected to open late this year (November / December) with two stations opening 'six months' later. See the linked thread for more information.

www.railforums.co.uk

Yes.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 5 Mar 2024 ==

I know most on this Forum are enthusiastic supporters of railway transport but an early objection on the planning site may be making reasonable points?

I'm not sure the points raised are a planning matter.

 

[Killingworth]

Yes.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 5 Mar 2024 ==


I'm not sure the points raised are a planning matter.

Many planning objections aren't so easily dismissed, valid though their comments may be!