THE letter, from John Welshman Gazette & Herald, May 17, is factually incorrect. Firstly, neither North Yorkshire County Council nor Ryedale District Council as the local planning authority, have excluded the possibility of level crossings, within Pickering, for the purposes of restoring the rail link to Malton.

Furthermore, nor has the Department of the Environment and Transport. However, the highways department of NYCC has expressed serious concerns regarding the potential traffic congestion, along the A170, should a new Safeway store be built to the south of Hungate.

These concerns have been endorsed by the detailed study, carried out by J B Hurlock, who is a Pickering resident, Gazette & Herald, January 25. Anyone who has travelled on the Manchester Metrolink will have observed that the two-coach units cause no delay to vehicles where the rail tracks cross busy roads because the rail signals are integrated with the traffic lights.

Secondly, the rail link from Pickering to Malton would be via a junction to the east of Rillington and the line from York passes under the A64 before Rillington. Therefore, neither a bridge nor a tunnel would be necessary.

The NYCC is commissioning a business study to assess the potential passenger patronage for a rail service from York to Whitby via Malton and Pickering. A full feasibility study will be dependent on evidence of potential financial viability.

Updated: 14:30 Thursday, May 31, 2001