Here is the first glimpse of Dartford's new £7million railway station.

Network Rail is planning to demolish the existing building and create a new three-storey station.

It is hoped the new station will take its place alongside other redevelopments, such as Lowfield Street.

Dartford is one of the south east's busiest stations, handling around three million journeys every year.

Building work is expected to get under way at the end of this summer and the new look station will be unveiled at the end of 2012.

It will feature a new concourse and ticket office, designed to be able to process more people at busy times and new toilets and shops will be built on the ground floor.

More parking bays will be built and an open plaza area created at the front of the station. This will be done by demolishing the existing offices used by railway staff and relocating workers to the first and second floors of the building.

And platforms will feature longer canopies, so passengers can stay dry while waiting for their trains.

A temporary station entrance and ticket office needs to be built during construction and Network Rail is pledging that the building works will not disrupt train services during the 15 months it will take to build the new station. Around £6million of the money has been provided by the Government's Homes and Communities Agency, with £1million coming from the Department for Transport.

Dave Ward, Network Rail's route director for Kent added: "We want more people to choose rail to make journeys around Britain, whether for business or leisure. This means we need to give passengers the end-to-end journey experience they expect, including a station environment and modern facilities which meet their needs.

"The upgrade of Dartford station is a big step forward and will make a big difference for the community."