Council planners revealed a radical design for a new station yesterday intended to dovetail with the £270 million redevelopment of the waterfront but director of city development Mike Galloway said it was not the local authority’s intention to put money into the project.

And that, Network Rail said, is where the council’s vision falls down because, without external funding from either the council or the Government, a new station is a non-starter.

A spokesman said, “What the council doesn’t like about it is that it’s not a particularly pretty building but it is functional and fit for purpose.

“Unless there are other sources of money to make essentially aesthetic changes, it’s not something we would push ahead with.”

The rail company’s blunt rejection of the council’s blueprint on financial grounds was being interpreted in some quarters as a negotiating stance ahead of detailed talks that are due to take place between the council and its waterfront project partners and Network Rail over the station issue.

None of the bodies is awash with cash and all are jockeying to get the best deal while spending the least amount of money. There is considerable pressure from politicians and the public who desperately want Dundee to have a station fit for the 21st century.

However, although Network Rail has made its position clear, it is understood Dundee City Council believes it has a major trump card to play in the shape of publicly-owned land adjacent to the station.

This is being offered to the rail company for possible development with cash from its lease to commercial concerns used to cross-subsidise the £10 million cost of a new station.

That, the council believes, might be enough of a carrot to overcome Network Rail’s reluctance to spend, paving the way for a new station offering improved facilities and office and commercial units.

If so, there was no sign of it from the rail company today. A spokesman said the old Victorian Dundee West station was knocked down by the ruling administration in Dundee in the 1960s to make way for the existing building — a decision, he said, the present incumbents at the City Chambers were obviously regretting.

The spokesman added, “The Dundee station is not the most attractive building but it does perform the function that’s required of it. There are, unfortunately, a lot of unattractive railway buildings that people would like to see done up but that’s not something we can easily do.

“We don’t have the funds to allow us to finance a new station simply for aesthetics. Funding would have to come from the Government and possibly the local authority.

“There are maintenance costs that go into the station on a regular basis but that’s to maintain the status quo and the safety of the structure. They are not on the scale that would allow us to build an entirely new station.

“Designs are great if they align with the business case and a funding package. That’s fundamental. Unless someone comes up with the money, it’s not going to happen.”

Mr Galloway said a series of meetings with Network Rail to try to reach an agreement is due to start next month. Agreement would have to be reached within a year due to the complexity of the arrangements that would have to be made, including closure of the railway line.

The city development director conceded there is a great deal of hard negotiating to be done and expects it to require many meetings over a long period of time.

Dundee West MP Jim McGovern today welcomed the council design as a replacement for a “dilapidated station” which were “frankly embarrassing”.

He added, “A modern train station with great facilities is vital to ensuring visitors to the city enjoy a good first impression of Dundee.

“I will be writing to Network Rail urging them to very seriously consider these plans.”

* Dundee Labour councillors today pledged their backing for the council’s station design and said they now expected Network Rail to “deliver”.

City development spokesman, Councillor Tom Ferguson, said, “Dundee Station has been an eyesore for too long. It provides a dreadful welcome to the city and gives the wrong first impression. I welcome proposals to invest in the station.

“Network Rail must invest in the East Coast line north of Edinburgh. Dundee should have a railway station that befits a major Scottish city. This needs a commitment from everyone concerned.”

West End councillor Richard McCready added, “As the local councillor I am pleased to see progress on the railway station. Dundee Station needs investment. I have seen investment going on across Scotland and I have been unhappy that Dundee has been left out.

“My colleague Jim McGovern has led the campaign for the station to be refurbished and it is good to see a start to the process.

“The station has been a poor advert for the city for too long, action is required and it is good to see progress being made. I expect Network Rail to deliver.”