On 4 August 1879, the North Eastern Railway opened a line from Ryhope Grange Junction over the River Wear to Monkwearmouth, and a new station was built on the present site, to the designs of architect William Peachey.

This, in turn, allowed the North Eastern Railway to extend the line along the coast to create a new through route to (West) Hartlepool, which opened in 1905.

[2] The current station, known as Sunderland Central until 5 May 1969, has tracks which lie in a cutting running north and south, bounded by retaining walls to the east and west.

The platform area was previously covered by an overall semi-elliptical arched-rib roof, which together with the buildings at the station's north end, suffered significant damage following an air raid in March 1943.

The complete rebuilding of the station was deferred, in order to enable advantage to be taken of the site's potential for property development, as well as to ensure compatibility with the town's proposals for the redevelopment of the surrounding area.

The redeveloped station was designed by Frederick Francis Charles Curtis of the British Rail Architects' Department,[7][8] with construction completed on 4 November 1965.

The project was to be funded by the Department for Transport in an innovative scheme in which the money 'saved' by reducing a subsidised rail service in favour of the Tyne and Wear Metro was converted into a lump sum for capital investment.

[10][11][12][13] The project saw the construction of an entirely new floor, ceilings and lighting, substantial improvements to existing walls and a significant reorganisation of buildings and waiting areas on the platforms.

The Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive appointed Sadler Brown Architecture to develop the design, led by Arup.

[14][15][16] Julian Germain is providing a sequence of 41 photographs of everyday items 'lost' on the Tyne and Wear Metro,[17] while Morag Morrison is designing coloured glass wall panels for buildings along the island platform.

In October 2015, it was announced that plans were being formulated for the refurbishment of the upper concourse and exterior to improve the station's image and accessibility.

[28][29][30][31] As of February 2025, southbound Tyne and Wear Metro services have been temporarily relocated to platform 1, to allow the introduction of the new class 555 fleet on the line.

On 31 March 2002, the opening of a 18-kilometre (11 mi) extension saw the Tyne and Wear Metro network brought to Wearside – a project costing in the region of £100 million.

Existing stations at Brockley Whins, East Boldon and Seaburn were converted for use by the Tyne and Wear Metro, and are no longer served by National Rail services.

Grand Central operate five trains per day, with four on Sundays, between Sunderland and London King's Cross, via Hartlepool and York.

[37] Rolling stock used: Class 180 Adelante Northern Trains operate an hourly service between Newcastle and Middlesbrough, via Hartlepool.