The £26m project is part of a wider £135m investment programme in Kent.
All three platforms of the new station will be able to accommodate longer trains with up to 12 carriages. There will also be step-free access to all platforms and improved station car parking.
Contractor Spencer Rail is set to start work next month and complete the project in winter 2015. The station will be operated by Southeastern.
Fiona Taylor, Network Rail’s route managing director for Kent, said: “This new station will deliver a huge boost to Rochester and Medway and provide passengers with improved facilities and better access to the town centre and surrounding area.
“It will accommodate longer trains than the current station, helping boost capacity and providing more seats for passengers. It will also help kick-start the wider regeneration of the Riverside area, which is an important part of the development and future of Rochester.”
Cllr Rodney Chambers, Medway Council Leader and Regeneration Lead, said: “Rochester – like the rest of Medway – is benefiting from regeneration and more and more people are viewing it as a place to buy a family home and commute from. The number of rail passengers is forecast to grow significantly and freeing up this space for a new station will not only improve the service for commuters and other passengers, but also make sure it grows with future demand.”
The east Kent resignalling project will see £135m invested in the railway by winter 2015. It includes extending platforms at Strood station, an additional platform at Rainham station, renewing signalling equipment between Longfield and Sittingbourne and Beltring and Strood, upgrading seven level crossings, and reducing journey times between Rochester and Meopham.
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