Commuters in Cross Hills could have a new rail station for the new millennium if rail companies show interest in the project.

North Yorkshire county council is investigating the feasibility of re-opening the station at Cross Hills in the winter of 2000.

The old station next to the A6068, opposite the Hanson store, has been dormant since 1965, when it was closed down during the Beeching era.

The county council is now in the process of compiling a funding package to assess the financial implications of such a venture, which is rumoured would cost in the region of £750,000.

Senior Officer for Environmental Services Chris Milns says the demand is there to sustain the re-opening of the station.

He says: "We did a study to look at the potential passenger demand and we came to the conclusion that we would be justified in re-opening the station.

"We know there are a lot of people who drive to Steeton station, so we must deal with the situation successfully to stop overcrowding there.

"Rail companies can certainly see the merits of the station and we have been presenting those positive benefits, however we are competing for funding with other stations.

"We have got quite a long way to go in a bid to raise future funding, and it is a question of carrying out the feasibility study, and then looking for funding partners."

The old station and land surrounding it is owned by North Yorkshire county council, and a funding partnership is essential for the progression of the scheme.

One major area which the council is addressing with Leeds based Metro is the higher cost of transport in North Yorkshire, opposed to the cheaper fares offered in West Yorkshire.

Mr Milns adds: "There are other benefits that could be generated by this, and looking from North Yorkshire's point of view it would be wrong to limit it to Cross Hills, because there is a much bigger issue here."

Cheaper subsidised fares in West Yorkshire lead to a daily exodus from towns and villages in North Yorkshire and Lancashire, where commuters pay higher fares.

North Yorkshire county council has already discussed the matter with its counterparts at Craven District Council and representatives from Regional Railways North East (RRNE) and Railtrack.

The new station would also coincide with the introduction of the new Class 333 eletric trains, which will replace the Class 308 stock currently used on the Airedale and Wharfedale lines.

The order for 16 of the new three carriage trains has been placed by RRNE, who will lease them from Angel Train Contracts in a deal worth £120million.

The leasing company will also be responsible for servicing and maintaining the trains, which are built by Siemens Transportation System.

Capable of speeds in excess of 100mph, the trains should reduce travelling times for commuters in the region. Siemens say the new trains should be operational in December 2000.

A new car park for long suffering local commuters at Silsden and Steeton station is on track for construction later this year.

The car park will provide an additional 64 car parking spaces in an area adjacent to the current car park, which has a capacity for 80 vehicles.

Funding for the scheme has now been approved by the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority (WYPTA), which is better known as Metro.

And negotiations are now in progress with all parties concerned to ensure the car park is constructed and operational as soon as possible.

A spokesperson for Metro says: "Planning permission for the car park has gone through, and we are now in the process of sorting out a contractor to do the work.

"We hope to start work on it as soon as possible, and we believe construction will take about eight weeks, so it should be ready by the end of the summer."

The news will come as a relief to local commuters who frequently have difficulty finding a parking space at the station.

In recent years it has been used by an increasing number of people from North Yorkshire, and from over the border in Lancashire.

Commuters travel from as far as Colne to take advantage of the free parking at the station, and the cheaper fares offered by Metro in West Yorkshire.

As a consequence, local people using services from Steeton/Silsden often arrive in the morning to find all the spaces taken.

Councillor Eric Dawson is a member of the WYPTA consultative committee, and he has suggested using a 'passport' system to ensure the car park is used only by Bradford council tax payers.

He says: "The new car park is very greatly needed and I think it should be free for Bradford residents, because at the moment people from outside the area are getting a free ride."

Councillor Dawson says a pass displayed in a windscreen would be a simple yet effective way to ensure the car park was available to local people.

Metro says any such moves will require further consideration of the political and practical effects such a system would have.

Cononley station is celebrating its 10th anniversary since re-opening by raising the level of its service.

As part of the station's celebrations, Railtrack is to raise the height of the platform to a standard level.

The project will involve raising the full length of the platform, which is currently below the standard height.

Resurfacing and minor repairs will be carried out at the same time and tactile strips will be fitted to the platform surface.

Railtrack says the work will be done at specified times to minimise disruption to rail users, with construction scheduled to begin in early summer.

A summer series of music trains will bring tracks of a different kind to some of the regions most breathtaking routes.

The musical trains will be swinging along the picturesque route between Skipton and Ribblehead. And to complement the sounds, refreshments including real ale will be available on the unique service.

The musical events have been planned by the Aire Valley Rail Users Group, in conjunction with the Friends of the Settle and Carlisle Line and the Settle and Carlisle Development Company.

Chairman of the Aire valley rail group Tim Callow says: "I have always thought it sounded like a nice idea to have live music on the train, and I believe it will be good fun." The first musical journey is planned for June 12, and music will be provided by Keighley's own Martin Smith's Mighty Four New Orleans band.

The train sets off from Skipton at 8pm, but it will be calling at Keighley station at 7.41pm.

The fare from Skipton is £2 return, which is payable on the train. Musical trains have also been planned for July 10 and August 14.

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