Not pleasant, dark and dingy.
Those are the words which have been used to describe how Sunderland's railway station looked before its £27 million refurbishment began.
Since January 2022, construction company bam have been working to improve the entrance to the station off Waterloo Street in the city centre.
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Building work is now in its final stages and the station on schedule to be completed in October this year. The space, which has huge glass windows, will contain three retail units as well as toilets. An office area has also been created upstairs for staff.
On Monday morning, the Chief Executive and Leader of Sunderland City Council joined the bam project team for a look around the station. Patrick Melia, Chief Executive of Sunderland City Council, said: "It's great. There's an awful lot of regeneration going on in the city at the moment and it's an important part.
"It's really important that we make a really good impression on people who are either leaving the city or coming to the city.
"For too long our entrance to the station has been dark. This is fantastic, it's so light and airy. It's hopefully something that the residents will be proud of. It's great, I just love it!"
Graeme Miller, Leader of Sunderland City Council, said 1.7 million people a year use the station in Sunderland for the Metro and 400,000 use the it for the railway.
He said: "We're spending £27m getting this end of the station redone so that we've got a modern station for the 21st century for people to use.
"There was no real investment in the railway station for decades. I have used the railway station in the past several times both as a customer and on business and it wasn't pleasant.
"You got here and there was nothing. There were no toilets and no facilities, it wasn't comfortable. You just had to go downstairs to the platform and wait for your train or Metro. All of that needed to change.
"People are genuinely excited and happy that we are doing this. People want to have a nice railway station, it's an experience. As far as I know there's been no negativity about it. This is just good for the city."
John Wilkinson, Chief Operating Officer for bam, said they have been able to deliver the project for Sunderland City Council while also employing a lot of local suppliers and trades workmen.
He said: "It's a fantastic project for myself actually, being a North East resident, to see the development coming on as it is."
"It's very bright, very modern, very airy feeling to the station. It will be a very iconic gateway into the city and I very much look forward to the opening in the autumn."
Paul Abraham, senior project manager for bam, said between 70 and 80 people have worked on the renovation, which has so far taken one year and five months.
He said it has been a "challenging" job at times due to the location of the station in the city centre and the fact as the railway lines needed to remain in service.
Paul said: "It's going well, we have got the last three months to go now. We have been through a few testing times but we have got there. We're pleased with the progress.
"It's going to be a nice space. I like to think it's going to be the gateway to the city. Hopefully it will be an investment to the city and I like to think we're part of that cog that has made it happen.
"I saw it at the start before we demolished the old station. I can't believe the general public put up with the station for so long.
"For the first time there is going to be toilets in the station. There's a proper office environment, before it was quite dingy.
"It's been really good. People stop you and they thank you. I'm from Manchester and people from Sunderland are really friendly and really interested in what's going on.
"I hope they will look after it. Look after the space and it will be here for the next 50 years hopefully."
Sunderland City Council hope the entrance will be part of a £100 million plan to transform the city's key transport hub. The local authority is in the process of trying to secure Government funding.
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