Wemyss Bay railway station

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Wemyss Bay
Location
Place	Wemyss Bay
Local authority	Inverclyde
Operations
Station code	WMS
Managed by	First ScotRail
Platforms in use	2
Annual entry/exit 02/03	0.161 million *
History
Key dates	Opened 1865
National Rail - UK railway stations
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
* based on sales of tickets in 2002/03 financial year which end or originate at Wemyss Bay. Disclaimer (PDF)

Weymss Bay railway station is a railway station on the Inverclyde Line. Located in the village of Wemyss Bay, Inverclyde, Scotland the station incorporates the Caledonian MacBrayne ferry terminal connecting mainland Scotland to Rothesay on the Isle of Bute. The station is managed by First ScotRail.

Work began in late 1862 on the single track railway line branching from the main route at Port Glasgow and taking an inland route across to the coast at Inverkip before descending to Wemyss Bay. This was to connect to Clyde steamer services for Rothesay, Largs and Millport, Isle of Cumbrae, allowing a combined train and steamer journey time of an hour and a half compared with a typical time of three hours by steamer from Glasgow. The Wemyss Bay Steamboat Company was formed to own the connecting steamers, competing with the private owners of other Clyde steamer services. The route opened on 15 May 1865, but over ambitious timetables led to severe delays during the first year damaging the company's reputation, and the route subsequently faced strong competition from other pierheads.

The station was designed by James Millar in 1903 for the Caledonian Railway and is a remarkable in its use of glass, steel and curves. The station is noted for its architectural qualities and, although one of Scotland's finest railway buildings, it has suffered from neglect.