A MULTI-MILLION pound revamp of a railway station will “welcome the world back to Darlington”, it was has been claimed.

Plans for a £150m investment into Darlington’s Bank Top station, which were exclusively unveiled in The Northern Echo, were officially launched at CPI’s National Biologics Manufacturing Centre on Thursday.

Darlington 2025 will feature a remodelling of the station as well as the creation of dedicated platforms for local connections and future high speed services.

The station will be at the heart of services connecting the East Coast mainline, and could also become an integral part of the Government’s HS2 network.

At the launch, Darlington Borough Council and the Tees Valley Combined Authority called on an audience of business leaders and key stakeholders to support their bid for Government funding for the revamp.

The council and TVCA are hoping the regeneration will be supported from the Government’s national infrastructure fund, and are confident they will be successful as the plans “demonstrate national importance.”

Andrew Lewis, managing director at TVCA, admitted the project did need to be “mostly” covered by government funding.

He said Darlington 2025 was in a “strong position” to achieve the funding, but admitted it “wouldn’t be easy”

“This will have a significant impact nationally, and it has the scope to benefit people not just in Darlington but all over the region,” he said.

“The proposals have been endorsed by HS2, National Rail, and that will help in our appeal to the government and put us right at the front of the queue.”

Ian Williams, director of economic growth at Darlington Borough Council, said it was a case of “when” rather than “if” the redevelopment would take place.

“The station will be the centre piece and it will be a catapult for what is to come.

“This has to happen – this announcement is about accelerating it and pushing it forward and the issue of capacity has to be addressed at some point.”

Jonathan Spruce, a consultant for TVCA, said the revamp was needed because of capacity constraints, and the need to bring HS2 to Darlington to stop the town becoming an “isolated hub”.

“By the early 2020s, the track layout will have capacity constraints, and if this isn’t addressed by 2043, there will be insufficient capacity for the station to operate effectively.”

TVCA say the plans, which aim to be completed in time for the 200th anniversary of the birth of the railways, could result in thousands of new jobs and homes.

Ada Burns, chief executive of the council, said “the eyes of the world will be on Darlington in 2025” the improvements will stop their expectations “falling short”.