Now there’s finally a light at the end of the tunnel.

CATA Director of Marketing Laurie Robison said the station will open this summer, when the existing site will be destroyed and the final work site will be completed. However, the project won’t officially wrap up until fall.

Robison said the prioritization of Multi Modal Gateway, which occurred through a joint partnership between the Michigan Department of Transportation, City of East Lansing, MSU and CATA, led to the station renovations.

The goal, she said, was to update Multi Modal Gateway and make it more welcoming to those traveling to and from the area.

Part of that goal included renovating the Amtrak Station, a project which Robison said was much needed.

“It was a very, very old building and there was not a whole lot of room in there. There’s a lot of demand for rail service in this area,” she said.

Improvements to the station include parking for up to 150 vehicles, bike storage under the covered area of the facility and bay canopies that will extend the sheltered area over bus doors.

There will also be floor-to-ceiling windows for enhanced visibility and aggregate concrete floors for better maneuverability for mobility devices and luggage.

“(There will be) full access to multi modal transportation (and) better access to cabs,” she said. “I know there will be more vendors within the facility.”

At this point, Robison said all that is left to be done are finishing touches.