Life for commuters in a Northumberland town will soon be made easier thanks to a £400,000 bus and rail interchange.

Work on the new interchange in Prudhoe is due to start early in the New Year after Northumberland County Council finally completed the purchase of the land. It is hoped work will be complete by spring.

The scheme aims to integrate the bus and train services in line with Government planning guidelines.

The Bus Meets Train Project Partnership, which is behind the scheme, was formed as a result of the successful award of Department for Transport Rural Bus Challenge Grant Funding Bid in 2003.

The steep hill dividing the town of Prudhoe from its railway station is currently a barrier to local people accessing rail.

The project partners have worked with transport users in the town, where the population has continued to grow over the years.

The new interchange will allow space for buses to stop every 15 minutes to pick up passengers.

There will also be 27 car parking spaces, two of which will be for disabled drivers, and four taxi bays.

It will also include a ramp and stair access to the station platform.

John Smith, the county council's executive member for highways and operations, said: "The interchange will provide residents, commuters and visitors with enhanced public transport facilities and opportunities for more flexible travel arrangements."

The Prudhoe partners include local county councillors, Tynedale District Council, Prudhoe Town Council, Prudhoe Community Partnership, Tyne Valley Rail Users Group, Northern Rail, the Arriva North East and Tyne Blue Line Bus Operators and Tynedale Community Rail Partnership.

The mayor of Prudhoe, Eileen Burt, said: "The town council has been working on this scheme for some years, so I'm delighted it is now set to go ahead."