Plans submitted for £12m Hartlepool station overhaul

The redundant second platform would be brought back into use at Hartlepool Station

Plans for a £12m overhaul of a railway station have been submitted.

The redundant second platform at Hartlepool station would be brought back into use and a new lift and footbridge installed, the Tees Valley Combined Authority said.

The plans have been submitted to Hartlepool Council.

If approved, work would begin in the summer with the aim of completion in time for the Tall Ships festival coming to Hartlepool in 2023.

A new footbridge would be built and lifts installed connecting the platforms

The combined authority said Hartlepool is the busiest single-platform station in the UK and welcomed up to 650,000 passengers a year before the coronavirus pandemic curtailed travel.

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: "Local people have been crying out for years for the second platform to be reinstated, and I am pleased to be able to make it happen.

"This is the next step in giving them what they want and making it easier than ever to get to, from and around our region."

Shane Moore, leader of Hartlepool Borough Council, said: "We are delighted to receive these plans for consideration by the council's planning department.

"It takes us an important step closer to making the railway station fit for the 21st Century and ready for the many visitors who will be heading to Hartlepool when we welcome back the Tall Ships next year."

Network Rail and Northern have both welcomed the plans.