THE campaign to re-open Hemingbrough train station continues to roll forward with a public meeting planned for later this week.

Already, about 1,500 people in Heminbrough and the surrounding villages have signed a petition to re-open the station, which was closed in the 1960s.

Reg French, secretary of Selby Rail Users' Group, said the re-opening of the station would be on the meeting's agenda.

But it would also discuss a number of problems recently with the railway, particularly regarding the infrastructure between Selby and Hull.

Mr French said that as yet there had been no formal representations to Network Rail about reopening Hemingbrough station, as when the campaign group met Rail Track, Network Rail's predecessor, there were three major concerns.

These were that there would be no public support for the service, the cost implications and whether there would be physically room to build a new station and having trains stop there.

Mr French said he was sure the question of where to site a new station could be overcome as well as the issue of whether there was enough room for the trains themselves to pass each other.

The cost issue would have to be looked at, but Mr French said he would not rule out local fundraising if it demonstrated to potential funders that it is a true community project.

He said the petition proved there was public support.

"A lot of people wonder why Hemingbrough station was closed in the first place but there was the concept then that as long as you had a local bus service you could close the station," he said.

"But since then there has been considerable residential development in the area and presumably a lot of people feel that if they could go to straight to Leeds or Hull or the coast it would be a big benefit to them."

The public meeting will be held on Thursday, at 7.30pm, in the community centre in Scott Road, Selby.