A ceremony to mark the start of a multi-million pound upgrade of Gateshead's public transport interchange will be held today.

The interchange, which allows passengers to switch between bus and Metro trains, is to be redeveloped at a cost of £7.5m.

Funding has come from central Government through the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions.

It will be the flagship project in a programme to redevelop the area of Gateshead town centre next to the interchange, including the nearby shopping precinct.

Work on the transport interchange will be done in four phases and is due to be completed in autumn next year.

Metro and bus services will not be affected during the work, although access to the interchange may be limited.

When the work is completed and the interchange reopened, it will feature an array of improvements.

At ground level, the interchange will be almost entirely covered, allowing bus passengers to wait indoors.

Electronic passenger information boards will be used throughout, giving passengers constantly updated information on the arrival or departure time of their bus or Metro.

Design work for the redevelopment has been handled by Jefferson-Sheard Architects, while WSP has been picked as consulting engineer for the project.

Landscaping is to be undertaken by Brown Associates.