Stranraer railway station

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Stranraer National Rail
Scottish Gaelic: Sròine Reamhra
156 434 at Stranraer
Location
Place Stranraer
Local authority Dumfries and Galloway
Coordinates 54°54′33″N 5°01′30″W / 54.9093°N 5.0249°W / 54.9093; -5.0249Coordinates: 54°54′33″N 5°01′30″W / 54.9093°N 5.0249°W / 54.9093; -5.0249
Grid reference NX062613
Operations
Station code STR
Managed by First ScotRail
Owned by Network Rail
Number of platforms 1
Live arrivals/departures and station information
from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2002/03 47,921
2004/05 Increase 53,190
2005/06 Increase 55,377
2006/07 Decrease 54,149
2007/08 Decrease 51,543
2008/09 Decrease 50,040
2009/10 Increase 50,274
2010/11 Increase 57,276
2011/12 Decrease 45,388
History
Original company Portpatrick Railway
Pre-grouping Portpatrick and Wigtownshire Joint Railway
Post-grouping London Midland and Scottish Railway
1 October 1862 Opened as Stranraer Harbour
by 1996[1] Renamed Stranraer
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
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Stranraer from Office of Rail Regulation statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.
Portal icon UK Railways portal

Stranraer railway station (sometimes known as Stranraer Harbour railway station) is a railway station that serves the town of Stranraer, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. The station is 94.5 miles (151 km) southwest of Glasgow and is the terminus of the Glasgow South Western Line. It has two platforms (although only one of these is currently in use) and is staffed on a part-time basis.

Bus link to Cairnryan ferry terminals

In September 2013 a bus link, route 350 operated by McLeans, was introduced between the railway station and the P&O Ferries and Stena Line ferry terminals at Cairnryan.[2] The bus also serves the centre of Stranraer. Note this service meets all trains but does not operate on Sundays.

History

Passengers have just arrived on the train and transfer to the ferry in 1974

The station was opened on 1 October 1862 by the Portpatrick Railway;[3] however, the current station buildings date from 1877[4] under the Portpatrick Railways Act 1877. Prior to that date, the station was rebuilt in 1877. The original facility was a concrete platform. Passengers and mail were meant to use the station at Portpatrick. The Portpatrick ferry service never fully materialised owing to inaction by the Admiralty who felt, as has since been proved, that the harbour there was not suitable.

A ferry service had commenced by 1861 but passengers made their way from Stranraer Town station to the steamers, not Stranraer Harbour station. The first daily ferry service started on 1 October 1862 to Larne and was provided by PS Briton. However, it only lasted until 31 December 1863.[5] Originally named Stranraer Harbour,[3] the station name was simplified to Stranraer by 1996.[1]

The Stena Line ferry service to Larne was moved to Belfast on 12 November 1995. P&O still sails there from nearby Cairnryan. Stena stopped serving Stranraer on 21 November 2011, having invested £200 million on a new route to Loch Ryan Port, near Cairnryan.[6] ScotRail has cut services to Stranraer since the ferry services started departing from further up Loch Ryan[6] and ferry passengers who travel by rail are now bused to Ayr.

Services

The one through train that used to run from here to Carlisle and Newcastle was withdrawn at the December 2009 timetable change.

2010/11

There were seven departures each weekday (six on Saturdays[7]) from the station to Ayr, most of which continue to either Kilmarnock (four services) or Glasgow Central via Kilwinning (two services). Two of the Kilmarnock trains also continue on through to Glasgow Central via Barrhead.

There were two trains to Glasgow via Kilwinning and one train to Glasgow via Kilmarnock on Sundays.[7]

December 2011

There are six departures from the station (Monday to Saturday) towards Ayr, with three going to Glasgow Central via Kilwinning, two going to Kilmarnock and one terminating at Ayr.[8]

On Sundays, there are three trains to Glasgow Central, two going via Kilwinning and one going via Kilmarnock.[8]

December 2012

There are six departures from the station (Monday to Saturday) towards Ayr, with three going to Glasgow Central via Kilwinning, two going to Kilmarnock and one terminating at Ayr.[9]

On Sundays, there are three trains to Glasgow Central, all going via Kilwinning.[9]

Preceding station National Rail Following station
Terminus   First ScotRail
Glasgow South Western Line
   Barrhill
Historical railways
Terminus   Caledonian, Glasgow & South Western,
Midland and London North Western Railways
Portpatrick and Wigtownshire Joint Railway
   Castle Kennedy
Line open; station closed

Future

The station is the southern terminal of the Carrick & Wigtownshire Community Rail Partnership SAYLSA which comprises local Community Councils, representation from South Ayrshire Council, First ScotRail as well as private individuals. SAYLSA has adopted the station and has provided tubs, shrubs and plants. These are tended to by South West Scotland Station Adopters Gardening Group.

Plans by Dumfries & Galloway Council, to close the station and replace it by a new structure a few hundred metres further east to create a new transport hub for Stranraer have been ditched and the ring-fenced money used on other projects. On 21st November 2011, Stena Line operations ceased at Stranraer and were transferred a few miles up Loch Ryan to Cairnryan.[10]

The plans for a new station have caused controversy due to fact that, unlike Harbour Station, it will not be adequate for hosting steam trains. Wigtownshire Chamber of Commerce and SAYLSA, in their Tourism Gateway strategy, have revealed that cruise ship and steam train tourism will be a significant boost to the local economy. [11]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stranraer Harbour railway station.

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Baker 1996, p. 70, section C1
  2. ↑ http://www.dumgal.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=13006&p=0
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Butt 1995, p. 222
  4. ↑ Thorne 2005, p. 90
  5. ↑ "History". Port of Larne. Retrieved 24 January 2011. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Jamieson, Teddy (19 November 2011). "End of an era as Stranraer ferry sails for new waters". The Herald (Herald & Times Group). Retrieved 20 November 2011. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Scotrail Train Times - Glasgow to Carlisle, Newcastle & Stranraer". www.scotrail.co.uk. Retrieved 27 January 2011. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Scotrail Train Times - Ayrshire, Inverclyde and Stranraer". www.scotrail.co.uk. Retrieved 12 December 2011. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Scotrail Train Times - Ayrshire, Inverclyde and Stranraer". www.scotrail.co.uk. 
  10. ↑ MiniWeb: South West of Scotland Transport Partnership (SWESTRANS) - Strategy
  11. ↑ Wigtownshire Chamber of Commerce - Tourism Gateway Project

Sources

  • Baker, S.K. (1980) [1977]. Rail Atlas of Britain (3rd edition ed.). Oxford: Oxford Publishing Company. ISBN 0-86093-106-4. 
  • Baker, S.K. (2007) [1977]. Rail Atlas - Great Britain & Ireland (11th edition ed.). Oxford Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0-86093-602-2. 
  • Butt, R. V. J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-8526-0508-1. OCLC 60251199. 
  • Jowett, Alan (March 1989). Jowett's Railway Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland: From Pre-Grouping to the Present Day (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-8526-0086-1. OCLC 22311137. 
  • Thorne, H.D. (2005). Rails to Portpatrick. Wigtown: G.C. Books. ISBN 1-872350-63-1. 
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