A new entrance has been opened at Newcastle Central Station to improve customer access.
Situated opposite the International Centre for Life, the entrance is part of a £4m redevelopment project intended to open up the station from the west of the city, which is set to undergo major transformation over the next few years.
Customers who come in through the new entrance then ascend a new walkway that leads up to platform 12 giving access to the station’s concourse including public toilets and shops.
Leader of Newcastle City Council, Cllr Karen Kilgour, said: “The Central Station is the jewel in the crown of our transport network with one of the most picturesque approaches over the Tyne of any railway station in the country.
“For visitors to the North East it is also the first impression they get of Newcastle, so it must be attractive and welcoming.
“For commuters who use it every day it also needs to be easy to enter and to get to the shops and public conveniences.
“The new entrance will help to achieve all these things while leading straight up onto platform 12. It will also make the station easier to access from the west where there will be lots of new homes built in the coming years.”
Paul Rutter, Network Rail’s East Coast route director, said: “It’s great to see the new entrance at Newcastle Central station open today.
“This is a big step forward for the station and for the city. It gives people better access, opens up the area around the station, and supports the wider plans to improve this part of Newcastle.
“Stations are the start of every rail journey, and improvements like this make travel easier and more welcoming for everyone. I’m proud that we’re helping to create a better experience for passengers and visitors to Newcastle.”
Steve Wilson, Head of Stations at LNER, said: “Newcastle is one of the most iconic stations on the East Coast route, and this new entrance marks an important step in making it even more accessible and welcoming for the communities we serve.
“LNER is proud to be a partner in this redevelopment, working alongside NECA, Newcastle City Council and Network Rail to improve the experience for customers today while helping prepare the station for the growth and transformation ahead.”
Other improvements include a green wall, a refurbished waste management area to improve safety and cleanliness and eight temperature-controlled storage units for station retailers.
The work was project managed by Newcastle City Council and funded through the North East Combined Authority.
Further work is planned to improve the station’s connectivity to the west with Forth Yards – a 52-acre development site.
The council is currently consulting on a masterplan for Forth Yards that has attracted £121m of Government funding and will transform the area over the next 15-20 years.
One proposal is an urban park on the railway viaduct connecting Forth Yards with the station.