Sunderland's multi-million-pound southern train station entrance has officially opened.

The transformation of the city’s new arrival point – featuring a heavily glazed fascia that looks out to Market Square in the heart of the city – welcomed the public from 8am this morning.

BAM joined the leader of Sunderland City Council, Councillor Graeme Miller and chief executive Patrick Melia, along with Julie Elliott MP, and representatives from Network Rail, Grand Central, and Northern Rail, to celebrate the finished station after 18 months of construction.

The southern entrance of the station features a large glass wrap around design and includes a new ticket office and reception, public toilets, retail space and cafes, comfortable waiting areas, as well as a new mezzanine level that has office space reserved for rail industry staff. The project was driven by Sunderland City Council, in partnership with Network Rail, Nexus, Grand Central and Northern Rail.

Construction started in May 2022 with BAM delivering the project on time.

Nissar Mohammed, Rail Director at BAM, said: "We're so pleased to see the new entrance to Sunderland Station open to the public. It’s the culmination of a lot of hard work from our construction team, Sunderland City Council, Network Rail, and our subcontractor partners. The new entrance looks fantastic and will provide an enhanced travel experience for passengers, as well as a bright and modern welcome to Sunderland. The project is a testament to our commitment to delivering projects that positively impact communities. Using local suppliers has meant that businesses in the North East have benefitted from the station's redevelopment, as well as passengers and the public. We extend our gratitude to the Sunderland community and local businesses for their collaboration and support throughout the scheme."

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Councillor Graeme Miller, leader of Sunderland City Council, said: "Well, it is stunning. What a contrast this is to entrance that stood here before. This is a significant demonstration of the ambition we have, to transform this city into a place we can all be proud of. I am delighted to see this complete."

In 2019/2020, c1.5 million Metro trips were made from and to the station, with a further c427,000 trips made using the national rail network. Numbers are expected to grow as the city centre becomes an economic hub and the city will require supporting infrastructure to encourage sustainable travel.

Jonathan Calvert, principal portfolio manager for Network Rail, said: "This is a fantastic scheme which will transform rail travel for people in Sunderland and we’re really pleased that we have been able to work with industry partners on its delivery. Now that the work is complete, we look forward to passengers reaping the benefits and enjoying an improved travel experience."

The southern entrance is part of a wider investment programme to transform the transport hub. The council is campaigning for support for the next phases to create a massively transformed city station over the coming years, with a vision to revamp the northern entrance, as well as platform-level works to increase capacity, with four tracks and four platforms to separate Nexus and Metro from mainline services. It is hoped the hub will create business and further investment opportunities to support the central business district and retail rejuvenation in the heart of the city.