£35m upgrade planned for Middlesbrough Station

Middlesbrough Station is set to undergo a £35m transformation to provide new rail services, including a direct link to London.Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen has committed £22.5m to the scheme which, in its first phase early next year, will include a platform extension facilitate more services and longer trains.The extended Platform 2 will be able to accommodate new LNER Azuma trains, with mayor Houchen leading discussions with the government-owned operator to restore daily services from Middlesbrough to the capital.A new new £6.5m entrance, with accompanying business units on Zetland Road, is also proposed.The third phase, a new Platform 3 could be built to the north of Platform 2 to further increase train capacity.The scheme is a joint partnership between the Tees Valley Mayor and Combined Authority, Network Rail, Middlesbrough Council and the Department for Transport, with support from train operators.