A MAJOR refurbishment of Longbridge station is complete.

The outside of the station has been totally transformed with a new entrance, glazed roof and cladding, while inside a new larger concourse, ticket office and accessible toilet have been built.

The £1.7 million-pound project, part of Britain’s Railway Upgrade Plan, was delivered by Network Rail and funded by Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).

Harpreet Singh-Moore, scheme project manager at Network Rail, said: “This major overhaul of Longbridge station is a huge improvement for the tens of thousands of West Midlands Trains passengers who use the station each week.

“As part of the Railway Upgrade Plan, the new facilities create a bright and modern transport hub for an area which is being regenerated by new business, leisure and housing developments.”

Francis Thomas, head of corporate affairs for West Midlands Railway, added: “Passengers using the Cross City Line will see more improvements over the coming years as we invest £1bn into upgrading our services across our network. This will include new trains for Longbridge commuters, with more capacity on this popular route.”

The old station rooms were demolished to create a larger concourse area complete with new flooring, new automatic doors, and a new accessible toilet and ticket counter.

The appearance of the station has been improved with a new front, replacement glass throughout the building, a new roof and canopy.