THE prospect of a new railway station at Cross Hills looks to be dead in the water after its expected cost of £23 million looks set to rule it out.

It had been thought a new station off Station Road, close to Kildwick Crossing, would cost between £6.5 million and £9 million.

But a report to Thursday's (November 9) Craven Area Committee of North Yorkshire County Council puts the cost at around three times the original estimate of almost three years ago, including a 60 per cent 'optimism bias'.

Councillors at the meeting to be held at Heriot's Hotel, Skipton, will hear that a feasibility study was carried out earlier this year looking at building a new station on land between Station Road and Skipton Road, between existing stations at Steeton and Silsden, and at Cononley.

The cost of the work was put at £14.4 million, but with Department of Transport guidance of additional 60 per cent 'optimism bias' taking it to £23 million.

In his report, David Bowe, corporate director business and environmental services, says that the estimated cost does not include any required changes to roads in the area to cope with expected extra traffic on an already congested network.

It would also impact on the down time of the barriers at Kildwick crossing, requiring changes to signalling.

Councillors will be recommended to agree that given the high cost and low benefit cost ratio of a new station at Cross Hills, no further work will be undertaken.