Residents today pledged to continue battling for a bus link to Baildon railway station after transport chiefs rejected their plea.

More than 260 people who signed a petition calling for the link have been told bus operators are unwilling to provide a mini-bus service.

The campaign was launched by resident John Anderson of Gillbeck Close, who said hundreds more people would use the trains if they could reach the station.

Shop keepers in Baildon also joined the battle because they said the new service would help their trade.

Today hairdresser Nicola Orwin, of West Avenue, said: "I think it is very disappointing - everybody was looking forward to it. How long is Baildon going to have to wait for this service?"

The campaigners said they wanted two hopper buses called the BAILRAIL to run continuously round the village and meet every train at the station.

At present people in High Baildon and in the West Lane area in particular face long treks to the station because there are no buses.

And people with young families say the 20 minute trudge is too far.

A defiant Mr Anderson said today: "We will not give up this campaign.

"It is disappointing, but the campaign will not be dropped."

He said the project was in line with the Government's pressure for integrated transport schemes to ease the snarled-up roads.

Baildon was the ideal place for a system because there was only one main road out of the village and many more houses were being built, he said.

But the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority says it cannot find the funding to subsidise a service - and private operators which had been approached had declined.

The PTA says integrated rail and bus plans are being developed under a five-year local transport plan.

And it has given the campaigners a glimmer of hope by saying that, while no immediate action is practical, the request will be reconsidered when the local transport plan is approved.

Chairman of the Passenger Transport Consultative Committee Councillor Latif Darr said: "We want little places to have integrated transport and this will continue to be looked at."

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