Haymarket Station officially opened by Transport Minister

Network Rail's new station building has a public space 10 times larger than before and more shops

Haymarket station's new main building and concourse has been officially opened as the £25m redevelopment of the hub nears completion.

Transport Minister Keith Brown opened the building which was on time and budget.

Network Rail's new station building has a public space 10 times larger than before and more shops.

The new main entrance also has direct access to the tram line along Haymarket Terrace.

The steel and glass building also links to all platforms via a new, wider footbridge with lifts and escalators.

New look

Passenger numbers at Haymarket are expected to climb from the current four million a year to 10 million by 2030.

Mr Brown said: "The exciting £25m redevelopment of Haymarket Station marks a hugely important milestone in the Edinburgh-Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP) and I am delighted to be able to unveil the station's stunning new look to the public.

"Network Rail and ScotRail have worked extremely well together to deliver this transformation of one of our most iconic stations on time and on budget and I look forward to seeing this kind of successful collaborative approach continue throughout EGIP.

"The scheme is making excellent progress and is well on the way to helping provide a more comfortable and efficient railway benefitting not just our two biggest cities, but the whole of Scotland."

Alex Sharkey, Network Rail area director for Scotland east, added: "Haymarket station is already one of the busiest in Scotland and passenger numbers are set to continue to grow in the years ahead.

"This new building will ensure the railway is able to provide first-class facilities for those passengers and the new, modern station will also complement the wider redevelopment of the city's west end."