New entrance to station 'big step forward for city'

A NEW entrance to Newcastle's Central Station has finally opened, almost seven years after plans for a multi-million pound makeover were unveiled.

- By DANIEL HOLLAND

Council bosses and rail chiefs cut the ribbon on a heavily delayed new western gateway to the train station opposite the Centre For Life on Wednesday morning.

Designs for an overhaul of the North East's busiest railway station were revealed in February 2019, but the £4million works have been taken far longer than planned and it has now also been confirmed that some major changes are being scrapped.

City leaders had originally planned to pedestrianise the Orchard Street tunnel, where taxis queue, and mount a major rejig of Central Station's taxi rank and car parks.

It was proposed that taxis would be relocated to the existing short-stay car park at the front of the station and queue up Bewick Street, with the short-stay area moved into the current long-stay car park.