FROM the undulating roof of Melbourne’s Southern Cross railway station to the vast vaulted ceiling of Grand Central Station in New York, the joy of rail travel involves the thrill of visiting famous transport hubs.

But for visitors arriving into Glasgow for the first time, instead of sparking fireworks, Queen Street Station has always been a bit of a damp squib.

Its beautiful Victorian glass roof was so hidden by modern building developments that travellers would barely notice the feat of engineering.

READ MORE: Ryanair jobs threat

Rather than being greeted by jaw-dropping architecture, commuters had an array of fast food joints and pubs at eye level when coming through the gates.

Now the station design aims to change all of that and, while its completion is still some way off, rail passengers are getting a small glimpse of what the travel hub aspires to be.

Now the buildings to the front of Queen Street have gone, the station opens up to George Square.

Alighting from the trains arriving at the new, lengthened platforms, passengers are met with a vast, glass panelled window.

Light is pouring in to the concourse and, looking out, the view is of Glasgow City Chambers and George Square’s statues.

For a city that wants to position itself as one of the most forward thinking and inviting in the world, the revamp of Queen Street is much needed – and long overdue.

READ MORE:Passengers not happy at no food on Caledonian Sleeper

Scotland’s third-busiest station is undergoing a £120 million project to redevelop and expand it.

This week, after four weeks of works, two extended platforms have opened - platforms 2 and 3 with a 26metre extension to both.

Some 90 engineers worked over 21,000 hours to remove 2000 tonnes of material and install 100m of platform walls, 160m of track and connect it to existing infrastructure.

Overhead power lines were also extended.

The extensions will allow the larger Class-385 trains to use the platforms - making things better for passengers who complain of overcrowded trains and a lack of sufficient seating.

Floor space to the George Square/West George Street side of the station has increased in size as part of the new concourse now joins with the existing one.

For commuters who trek through the station every day, these works will make an important practical difference.

But part of comfort and enjoyment of travel is the aesthetics – how the station looks and feels.

Many visitors to Glasgow will be coming from Edinburgh, previously stepping off the train to a dull, dark, crowded station without any point of interest or wow-factor.

It was merely a practical space used for getting from A to B. After the revamp that will be no longer.

Grand Central Station in New York is perhaps the most famous of the world’s stations but it is a baby compared to Glasgow Queen Street.

While the Manhattan station in its current guise opened in 1913 Queen Street station opened in 1842, with the Victorian glass roof constructed three decades later.

Now a Category A listed structure, the roof was completed in 1878 and visitors will now be able to see it and enjoy it along with the impressive glass frontage.

Now, for tourists, travellers and commuters, Queen Street Station has gone from unremarkable to regal.