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MORE than £14m is to be poured into redeveloping Newcastle's Central Station.

Extra regional growth fund cash is to be announced to change the face of the station.

The £4.9m funding handout will be added to Newcastle Council cash and a £8.6m Network Rail payout.

They will work with Newcastle business group NE1, and between them they will oversee more than £14.9m in investment at the train station.

Network Rail plans see the station’s interior providing new shops, improved passenger waiting accommodation and toilets, better signage and alterations to the existing bridge, while adding lifts and escalators to make it easier to move around the heritage listed building. There will also be improved glazed canopies to flood the station with natural light.

NE1 and the city council plan to improve the area around the Central Station for pedestrians, drivers, cyclists and visitors to the city and help kick-start the economic regeneration of the area.

Barry Rowland, chief executive of Newcastle Council, said: “We have worked hard with our partners NE1 Ltd and Network Rail for almost two years to secure this range of funding and foster a shared vision for a regional transport hub that will create the conditions for accelerated regeneration of the areas surrounding the station.

“We look forward to work starting next summer and progress being made on this important project.”

He was backed by Tim Hedley-Jones, stations and property director for East Coast, which manages Newcastle station. He said: “Newcastle is one of the main stations along our route and East Coast welcomes today’s news, which will see significant improvements to some of its key facilities. “Once completed, the changes will undoubtedly enhance the travel experience for our customers, whilst giving staff a better working environment.”

Deputy chairman of NE1 Ltd, Gavin Black, said: “This is an excellent example of partnership working between the private and public sector, with NE1 Ltd, Newcastle City Council, Tyne and Wear Integrated Transport Authority and Network Rail all working together to achieve the aims of the project which will deliver major improvements to the city centre, cementing its role as the capital of the North East region.”

The regional growth fund is the coalition Government’s flagship regeneration policy funded out of the money saved by scrapping quango’s such as the dedicated job creation agency One North East.