Issue - meetings

This report updates Members with progress on developing a new rail station at Haxby.  The report summarises progress on the scheme to date and seeks approval to consider the funding of the development of the scheme from the Council’s 2009/10 LTP capital programme to enable a Major Scheme Business Case to be prepared

Advice of the Advisory Panel

That the Advisory Panel advise the Executive Member for City Strategy to:

(i)           Note the current progress in developing Haxby Rail Station;

(ii)          Agree the development of Option 2 for the Haxby Station scheme to Programme Entry Stage and is put forward for consideration for inclusion within the 2009/10 Capital Programme.

Decision of the Executive Member for City Strategy

RESOLVED:That the advice of the Advisory Panel be accepted and endorsed.

REASON:     The council has, in partnership with third parties, made significant progress toward developing a suitable scheme option for building a new rail station at Haxby, which has been included in the latest Regional Funding Advice programme to Government. However, further detailed design and assessment work is required to enable the scheme to attain Department for Transport (DfT) 'Scheme Entry' status, being one of the stages that need to be achieved in order to gain DfT funding for the project. It is envisaged that this design and assessment work can be substantially completed within the 2009/10 financial year, but capital funding needs to be secured in order to do this.

Members considered a report, which updated them on progress with developing a new rail station at Haxby. The report summarised progress on the scheme to date and sought approval to consider the funding of the development of the scheme from the Council’s 2009/10 LTP capital programme to enable a Major Scheme Business Case to be prepared.

Officers confirmed that they had been in close consultation with Network Rail in relation to this study. They apologised for the quality of the two plans attached to the report, which detailed the fast track options for the construction of a station at Haxby. Detailed copies of which were made available at the meeting. They explained that they had worked with First Transport and Network Rail only as they felt contact with other services could cause difficulties with the national timetable.

In answers to Members questions, Officers confirmed that Option 1 would best support a transport interchange.

Members also questioned the capacity of the York/Scarborough line to accommodate a half hourly service and, if it was feasible, whether there was anything to preclude the use of a tram/train for this service.

The Chair confirmed that Mr Healey’s earlier comments had been noted and would be taken into account.

Consideration was given to two options:

Option 1 consisted of a staggered platform layout (as shown in Annex A), with the ‘Down’ (to Scarborough) platform to the north of the level crossing on Towthorpe Road/Station Road, and the ‘Up’ (to York) platform to the south of the crossing.  This arrangement is similar to that of the previous station, which closed in 1930.

The arrangement for Option 2 was for a conventional (opposing platform) layout, approximately 230m south of the Towthorpe Road/Station Road level crossing (as shown in Annex B).

Advice of the Advisory Panel

That the Advisory Panel advise the Executive Member for City Strategy to:

(i)           Note the current progress in developing Haxby Rail Station;

(ii)          Agree the development of Option 2 for the Haxby Station scheme to Programme Entry Stage and is put forward for consideration for inclusion within the 2009/10 Capital Programme. ^1.

Decision of the Executive Member for City Strategy

RESOLVED:That the advice of the Advisory Panel be accepted and endorsed.

REASON:     The council has, in partnership with third parties, made significant progress toward developing a suitable scheme option for building a new rail station at Haxby, which has been included in the latest Regional Funding Advice programme to Government. However, further detailed design and assessment work is required to enable the scheme to attain Department for Transport (DfT) 'Scheme Entry' status, being one of the stages that need to be achieved in order to gain DfT funding for the project. It is envisaged that this design and assessment work can be substantially completed within the 2009/10 financial year, but capital funding needs to be secured in order to do this.