Formal planning submitted for £100m transformation of Darlington Station submitted
Plans for the multimillion-pound transformation of Darlington railway station have taken a major step forward.
The formal planning application for the £100m project has now been submitted to Darlington Borough Council.
The £100million redevelopment will include a new platform, entrance, station building and upgrades to its transport links.
Last month new images were released detailing what the revamp could look like. It's hoped the new station would improve the frequency and reliability of services as well as connectivity along the East Coast Main Line and to other regional stations.
£25million pounds of investment has come from the Tees Valley Mayor's office. Ben Houchen pledged the funds to support plans to overhaul the station to become a reality
The major redevelopment will create three new platforms on the east side of the existing station to accommodate current and future services, a new station building and a footbridge linking the new platforms and building with the existing station.
An upgrade to the Victoria Road entrance and car park, pick up and drop off points on the western side of the station is planned, alongside new road layouts, wider pavements and improvements to walking and cycling access to make the station easier to reach.
Mayor Houchen said "A few weeks ago we unveiled what Darlington station could look like after this transformational upgrade, but it's not just about pretty pictures, it's about delivery.
"Today we took a major step closer to our vision, with the submission of the planning application for the station which, when complete, will give people from across Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool the more reliable, frequent and faster services that they've been crying out for - and that they deserve."
The redevelopment of the station is seen as a positive step ahead of hundreds of government treasury jobs relocation to darlington over the course of the year.
125 jobs will also be created as the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) aims to shift 30% of its workforce outside of London by 2025.
Houchen continued: "Our connections to London will be more important than ever, especially with the news that hundreds of Government civil service jobs are being relocated to Darlington in the coming months. Our plans will make sure our region remains attractive and able to take advantage of even more opportunities in the years to come."
Heather Scott, Leader of Darlington Borough Council and Combined Authority Cabinet lead for Transport, said: "The sweeping curves of Bank Top station have welcomed countless visitors to our town, as well as being a symbol of home to Darlington residents returning from their travels.
Work is planned to be completed in time for 2025's 200th anniversary celebrations of the Stockton and Darlington Railway, recognising Darlington as the birthplace of the modern railway.
The submission comes just days ahead of the expected completion of the new platform at Middlesbrough railway station, which will increase capacity for the introduction of LNER's Azuma trains to London in December.
This also joins millions of pounds being invested into station in Hartlepool, Billingham, Eaglescliffe, and Teesside Airport station among others.