A £1.5 MILLION project to overhaul a major, historic station has been drawn up.

Plans to renovate the Grade II-listed York Railway Station are to be submitted to planners with the City of York Council.

Virgin Trans East Coast is proposing to create a first class lounge, two new shops and a new “customer zone” at the station, which when it opened in 1877 was the largest in the world with 13 platforms.

Under the proposals, the new customer zone would be set in the location of the current ladies' toilets near WHSmith and would include a traditional ticket office.

Earlier this year a petition was launched against the planned loss of the station's ticket office and staff which was signed by more than 2,000 people within a week of its launch.

The new plans include a traditional ticket office with staff manning desks.

Chris Cunningham, general manager for Virgin Trains on its east coast route, said the change was a ‘win win’ for customers, stakeholders and staff.

“We have listened to and taken on-board feedback in recent months," he said. "As a result, we will include a new modern ticket office, with our people both floor walking and sitting behind more traditional desks as part of our exciting plans to improve York station."

He said the zone would provide more opportunities for face-to-face interaction with staff, acting as a one-stop shop for inquiries, advice and ticket purchases, including through more ticket machines and hand-held devices.

Mr Cunningham said there would be a 'very small' number of job losses, but these had all been achieved voluntarily and there were no compulsory redundancies.

He said a cluster of ATM cashpoint machines would be removed from the area between the ladies and WHSmith, opening up views of the platforms from the concourse, and they would be relocated to an area near Platform 3.

He said customers had been requesting a First Class lounge for many years prior to Virgin winning the franchise for the east coast route and it now planned to locate one in a little used area near Platform 3, where bins and hired bicycles were currently stored, and in offices behind.

“We’re also planning to attract two major new retailers to the station, create new and improved ladies’ loos, and create better sight lines and pedestrian flow through this fantastic gateway to the city and wider region.”

The shops, which will sell food and convenience goods, have not been identified but at other stations along the east coast route, such retailers include big names such as Marks & Spencer, Waitrose and Boots.

If planning consent is granted, work will start by early summer and should be completed by the end of 2018.