Updated: Harrogate Train Station to receive £900,000 investment

Speaking at a Harrogate Chamber of Trade meeting on Monday evening, Mr Allan said improvements will be made to the station in the next 12 months and the consultation period will take place over the next six to eight weeks.

A spokesperson for Northern Rail said there were a ‘number of options’ available for improvements at the station and that Mr Allan was keen to get feedback on what will benefit the customers at Harrogate.

Local MP Andrew Jones has welcomed news and is calling for the whole community to be involved in what the renovation package should involve.

He said: “We all know that Harrogate station could do with some investment. For a start, there is very little shelter on the southbound platform for commuters to Leeds and the facilities for cyclists could be improved among other things. The station simply doesn’t present the kind of Harrogate welcome we want to give.

“The news that we are getting this significant cash boost is very welcome and represents a further investment in our rail services as we prepare for possible electrification of the entire line. Now it is important that the whole community has their say on how this cash should be spent.”

Mr Jones has called on Harrogate Council to hold a public meeting so that residents and commuters can give their views.

“Investment like this is rare and every penny needs to be spent wisely,” he said

Council Leader Richard Cooper has backed Mr Jones’s call. Commenting he said: “I have asked Council Officers to liaise with Northern Rail to agree a date for a joint public meeting. This is the kind of community consultation the Council should be supporting.”

A spokesman for North Yorkshire County Council said: “We very much welcome this investment, and look forward to the opportunity to work with the rail industry and other stakeholders on these improvements.”

Mr Allen also announced in the meeting that that electronic customer information screens will be installed at train stations in Knaresborough and Starbeck in the next 12 months.

Richard Allen announced the news at the Harrogate Chamber of Trade and Commerce meeting on Monday evening and said Hornbeam Park and Weeton stations will also have the screens installed.

The news means that only two stations along the Harrogate line, Cattal and Hammerton, will not have the electronic information screens installed in a bid from Northern Rail to improve the line.

Mr Allen also said the company is doing work online to promote Harrogate as a tourist destination.