Rail and council chiefs have agreed to investigate potential solutions to the congestion caused by Northallerton’s three level crossings.
The agreement was reached in a summit meeting called by Richmond MP Rishi Sunak.
Senior officers at Network Rail, which operates the crossings, North Yorkshire County and Hambleton District councils are to consider what options might be feasible and what they might cost.
Since Mr Sunak called the summit a number of possible solutions to the problems at Low Gates – the crossing with the most road traffic - have been suggested. These include a bridge, an underpass and moving the Teesside rail line so that it joins the East Coast main line north of the town
Mr Sunak said the meeting, held at County Hall, Northallerton, had been very constructive and progress had been made.
“Everyone agreed that it is the right time to consider this issue which has not been looked at in a formal way for many years,” he said.
“We know that the level of freight and rail traffic is going to increase over time so there is a need to initiate the planning process. We also know there is no easy or cheap solution but we have to make a start somewhere. This is an excellent start to that process and I am very grateful for the positive input of all who attended.”
Mick Jewitt, Hambleton District Council’s executive director, who attended the meeting with the council’s leader Cllr Mark Robson, said the North Northallerton housing development and its accompanying northern link road between the Darlington and Stokesley roads would provide an alternative route into and through the town centre for traffic.
However, it was not solution to the problem and road traffic would grow on all routes as the town developed.
The leader of North Yorkshire County Council, County Cllr Carl Les, who had hosted the summit at County Hall, said: “The County Council was pleased to support the summit called by Rishi Sunak and has been seeking a long term vision for Northallerton that has the ambition to address growth well in to the future.
“There are opportunities coming forward that may help us deliver complex and expensive solutions that could support long term sustainable development. Crucially we must establish a vision for the town and look for mechanisms to draw together developers, Network Rail, national, regional and local government to facilitate the best possible long term outcome for Northallerton.”
James Farrar, chief executive of the York, North Yorkshire and East Riding Enterprise Partnership which is part funding the new link road for the North Northallerton development, spoke of the importance of infrastructure improvements and that it would support any proposal that would help the town to grow.
Mark Tarry, Network Rail’s area director, said : “I’m always pleased to meet with people who are as passionate as I am about improving the railway for both rail users and those who live or work near it.
“This was a positive initial meeting and while there are no quick fixes to be done in Northallerton we are prepared to look at all suggestions in a bid to improve the situation.”
The meeting at County Hall was also attended by the Mayor of Northallerton, Cllr Claire Palmer and the Northallerton area elected representatives sitting on North Yorkshire County, Hambleton District and Romanby Parish councils