Construction of Dundee’s £22 million new railway station is due to begin in six months.
A contractor to build the 120-bed Sleeperz Hotel, shops, cafe and ticketing area is currently being sought with tender documents being issued to shortlisted contractors later this year.
The successful bidder will be chosen by the city council early next year, with work due to start on the site in the spring.
The five-storey crescent-shaped gateway to complement other buildings in the central waterfront will then rise from the foundations of the old station.
It is planned to be completed by late 2016 or early 2017, when the £45 million V&A Museum of Design Dundee, the waterfront’s centrepiece, will be open.
The city council will own and lease the hotel building to Sleeperz, which will pay higher rent charges to the council.
The construction of the new station concourse has to be organised to avoid affecting train services through Dundee.
The old bridge below the present station has to be dismantled to enable the new building to be built and this cannot be done with trains on the line.
The old bridge will be removed when no trains run during the Christmas holiday.
Project manager Gerry Conway said: “We will be working around the clock as we did last year to clear the tracks for the train operations starting again on December 27.
“It will be a hive of activity. It’s a tight schedule as always, but we are confident we will get it done.”
Sleeperz Hotels chief executive David Myers said: “Sleeperz Hotel Dundee will be a striking building, enhancing the waterfront’s visual appeal while enabling visitors to the city to enjoy a high quality hotel stay without the higher rates associated with four-star and full-service hotel chains.”
The new road grid in the central waterfront development is on target for completion next year.
Recent elements include the new north/south road outside the station, while the new north boulevard is almost ready.