Station's entrance opens as part of £27m revamp

The revamp of the station has taken 18 months to complete and cost £27m

A station entrance which has been part of a multimillion-pound revamp has officially opened its doors.

Sunderland Station's new glass front southern entrance, includes a new ticket office, reception area, shops and mezzanine level office space.

Graeme Miller, leader of the city council, said the entrance was "stunning" and showcased the city's "ambition".

He said the project, which cost £27m and took 18 months, was part of a wider plan to transform the transport hub, including an overhaul of the station's northern entrance.

Future plans also include building more platforms to separate Nexus and Metro from mainline rail services.

The project has been completed by the city council in partnership with Network Rail, Nexus, Grand Central and Northern Rail.

The large, glass wraparound design area, also has new toilets and waiting areas.

The city council said it hoped that the new facilities would encourage passenger numbers to grow

Interim managing director of Nexus, Cathy Massarella, said the entrance was "world class."

She added: "It looks fantastic and it’s transformative for what is a major gateway into the centre of the city and the wider region.

“It also offers customers modern, new, brighter, cleaner and more welcoming facilities."

The Government’s Transforming Cities Fund (TCF) contributed £16.3m to the project.

The council said about 1.5 million Metro trips and 427,000 national rail journeys were made from and to the station each year and it was hoped passenger numbers would grow.

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