The Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne has announced £5 million of the Budget will be given to fund the redevelopment of St Albans Station.

Mr Osborne’s Budget announcement was made on Wednesday this week and part of his key announcements will benefit people and businesses in the East of England.

Funding for the redevelopment of St Albans Station which was mentioned will include a new booking hall and retail units.

Stuart Cheshire, passenger service director for Thameslink, said: “We’re delighted that the chancellor, in his budget speech, was able to confirm £5m of funding for Thameslink to improve St Albans City Station.

“Govia Thameslink Railway’s bid was submitted to the Department for Transport nine months ago and we will now review the business case against our original proposal with a view to them working up a scheme in consultation with stakeholders that will be delivered no later than March 2019 and hopefully much sooner.

“Our vision is to create a new station building at the second, entrance on Ridgmont Road with a wider gate line and new retail facilities on both sides of the station.

“This, together with a larger concourse in the main station building and more ticket purchasing facilities, will ease congestion and give our passengers a quicker, more pleasant journey through this, our busiest station on the north Thameslink route.”

In Mr Osborne’s announcement he said the east of England is a vital part of our economy and that this Budget will give it a big boost.

He added: “It is an area already benefitting from the action we have taken, with more people in work any other region in the UK, and my Budget today delivers the next step of our long term plan to make sure Britain is fit for the future.

“With the devolution deal they have signed, the civic leaders from Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and 18 local districts, have joined together to take on new powers over transport, skills and planning almost a billion pounds invested locally.

“This will all be headed up by an elected mayor – handing the East of England a powerful, accountable, new national voice and showing that our devolution revolution is taking place across the country.

“If Britain is to be fit for the future we must build more infrastructure, despite the uncertainty in the global economy, and with over £150 million to develop two of the East’s most important projects, we are backing your region with vital investment.

“This is budget that delivers for the East of England and puts the next generation first.”