KIRKLEES Council’s chief has visited Mirfield train station as the prospect of a direct link to London moves closer.

Train operator Grand Central submitted a bid to the Office of the Rail Regulator last January for permission to run services from Mirfield to the capital. With a timetable change due in December it is thought the new service could be given the green light in time for Christmas.

But with no official car parking at the station, Mirfield Tory, Clr Martyn Bolt, has called for Kirklees Council to step in and build one.

Clr Bolt accompanied Kirklees chief executive Adrian Lythgo on a fact finding mission to see if private land could be found to be used.

Clr Bolt said he hoped the council could do a deal with owners of a disused engineering site in front of the station.

He said: “Commuters park on the road for 200 or 300 yards and shopkeepers tell me the town centre car parks are used as long stay.

“If we can have a car park at the train station it will free up the town centre ones.

“We hope that with the support of Network Rail, Northern Rail and other local partners we’ve got a very strong case.