A rail station for Elland is a step closer after a major boost by Network Rail and Calderdale Council.
And if the bid goes well it could be open and running by 2019/20.
Station plans for Elland form part of a five year £38bn funding boost for rail network nationally.
Last night Calderdale Cabinet agreed to put £75,000 towards preparatory work to build the case for a new station for the town.
The next step is to identify a location, with the Lowfields Business Park the key contender.
Clr Barry Collins, Calderdale deputy leader, said: “The fact is Elland should have had a station in 2000 because the business case for Elland was as good as Brighouse which got a station and is working fantastically.
“This time we have to make sure Elland becomes a reality.”
He said they were having to embark on a complex process known as a GRIP and they were at stage four of eight stages.
Other investment in Yorkshire includes:
- Electrification of the North TransPennine and Midland Main Line routes, reducing the cost of running the railway and reducing carbon emissions.
- Proposals for new stations at Low Moor, Kirkstall Forge, Apperley Bridge and Elland to give more passengers easy access to rail services.
- Platform extensions in West and South Yorkshire to allow longer trains to run and more passengers to travel on every service.
- Improvements at Leeds and Huddersfield to allow more and longer services to run.
They need £200,000 for the pre-planning and Metro is expected to meet the remaining cost.
Clr John Ford, Elland Conservative, said: “I don’t want Elland to lose this investment and I would like us to identify another site if we have a problem with Lowfields.”
He suggested nearby Greetland Station.
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