A START has been made on works to redevelop the Newton-le-Willows Station interchange which will see facilities modernised and a new park-and-ride.

Representatives from the key partners involved in the project, along with MP Conor McGinn, were on hand to see the construction begin on Friday (January 13).

Preparatory work at the north entrance to the station to build a new subway underneath the railway line has now started.

The scheme will see a new main station entrance and ticket office on the south side of the tracks on Alfred Street and other improvements, including new toilets, bus interchange, dedicated drop-off and pick-up area, improved waiting facilities and more cycle parking spaces.

Conor McGinn, MP for St Helens North, said: "I welcome this significant investment and am delighted to see work begin on the new transport interchange in Newton-le-Willows."

St Helens Council's cabinet member for growth, Cllr John Fulham said: "Newton-le-Willows' rich railway heritage will soon be matched with a top class station following a multi-million investment by St Helens Council, the City Region and Merseytravel.

"Passenger traffic has grown by 40 per cent since 2010 and is set to grow further following electrification of the line and the arrival of the Trans-Pennine Express line next year, cutting journey times and adding more connections. The new bus links will make it easier for people to access the line, and the hundreds of new car spaces will ease congestion for neighbours."

He added: "It is also a crucial element in our plans to create thousands of jobs at Parkside. We are all committed to making this a success and to deliver much needed jobs for St Helens."

The overall scheme, costing £17.95m, is funded by the Local Growth Fund and Merseytravel. It forms part of the wider £340m investment by the Liverpool City Region in rail improvements over the next three years.

The improvements aim to help create a strategic transport hub, with rail links across the country, building on the electrification works that have already taken place on the Liverpool-Manchester line.

The start of work on the station building has seen car parking move to the new car park on the site of the former Mill Green School, accessed from the junction next to the Millstone Pub on Mill Lane.

The number of spaces currently available in the park is capped at 100 in response to temporary restrictions in the planning permission. The full car park, which will have 400 spaces, is scheduled to open in March 2018 when the works are completed.

More details can be found at merseytravel.gov.uk/newton-le-willows.