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MP demands urgent railway regeneration:
A Sunderland MP is campaigning for urgent action to regenerate the city’s railway station.
Julie Elliott said investment is needed now to transform “Sunderland’s tired old railway station”.
Plans for a multi-million pound station have been in the pipeline for several years, but Mrs Elliott is calling on Network Rail to do more to make it a reality.
The Sunderland Central MP has written to the organisation’s chief executive, Mark Carne, calling for a meeting.
She said: “We need and deserve a station that is fit for purpose.
“£1.3billion is to be invested in the local economy in the coming years, in ten months’ time we welcome the world-famous Tall Ships Races and Sunderland has also been shortlisted in the prestigious UK City of Culture 2021 competition.
“By contrast, our railway station looks tired, offers a poor welcome to the city and doesn’t even have a public toilet. It needs redeveloping urgently if we are to maximise both investment and the benefits of investment in Sunderland.”
Plans for a £13.55million scheme to transform Sunderland’s run-down city centre railway station were unveiled in 2012. The proposals involved the demolition of the current building, which is more than 50 years old, and replacing it with a lightweight roof over a new concourse and public area.
Sunderland City Council has been working with Network Rail, which owns the station, and public transport executive Nexus, operators of the Metro, to bring the plans to life.
But, Mrs Elliott believes the plans are being delayed because Network Rail are not committing enough funding to the project.
In her letter to Mr Carne, the MP said: “Network Rail must make a greater financial commitment to the redevelopment of the station.”
A spokeswoman for Network Rail said it would not be making a comment until it had responded to Mrs Elliott’s letter.
“We need and deserve a station that is fit for purpose” JULIE ELLIOTT