Girvan railway station

Girvan railway station is a railway station serving the town of Girvan, South Ayrshire, Scotland. The station is managed by Abellio ScotRail, who operate all passenger services from there. It is on the Ayr to Stranraer section of the Glasgow South Western Line and is situated 62 miles (99 km) south of Glasgow Central. It has two platforms and is the location of one of the five passing loops on the single track line between Dalrymple Junction (south of Ayr) and Stranraer. Immediately south of the station, the line climbs steeply towards Pinmore tunnel - the climb is known as the Glendoune Bank and has a ruling gradient of 1 in 54.

Girvan Scottish Gaelic: Inbhir Gharbhain[1]
The exterior of Girvan station
Location	Girvan, South Ayrshire Scotland
Coordinates	55.2463°N 4.8482°W
Grid reference	NX190983
Owned by	Network Rail
Managed by	Abellio ScotRail
Transit authority	SPT
Platforms	2
Other information
Station code	GIR
Key dates
5 October 1877	Opened as Girvan New
1 April 1893	Renamed as Girvan
Passengers
2015/16	137,076
2016/17	143,372
2017/18	151,448
2018/19	109,028
2019/20	121,742
Listed Building – Category B
Designated	14 October 2004
Reference no.	LB50007[2]
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

History

The station was opened on 5 October 1877 by the Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway and was known as Girvan New,[3] replacing the Girvan (Old) terminus station of the Maybole and Girvan Railway situated nearby. The station closed on 7 February 1882, reopened 1 August 1883, closed 12 April 1886, reopened 18 June 1886, closed again 2 September 1886, reopened 14 July 1890, and was renamed Girvan on 1 April 1893[3] after rebuilding by the Glasgow and South Western Railway, who had taken over the G&PJR the previous year. From 1906–1942, it also served as the southern terminus of the Maidens and Dunure Light Railway.

The main station building caught fire in January 1946 and because the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) were not disposed to finance the rebuilding costs as nationalisation was imminent, rebuilding did not commence until 1949. Owing to shortage of materials it was not completed until August 1951, when based on a typical 1930s LMS design it was re-opened. Along with the signal box, it is a category B listed structure as an example of an early post-war railway station in the Moderne style in Scotland. The station clock restored in 2009 is believed to be from the original station building.

The station is part of the South West Scotland Community Rail Partnership which comprises local Community Councils, representation from South Ayrshire Council, ScotRail as well as private individuals. SWSCRP has adopted the station and has provided tubs, shrubs and plants. These are tended to by the Girvan Make it Happen Group. SWSCRP also have their community shop and an office on site.

The station was the rail head for the 2009 UK Open Golf Championships.

Services

All trains on the Ayr to Stranraer route call, along with several to/from Ayr and beyond start or terminate here.

December 2019

On Monday to Saturday, there is a regular hourly service northbound to Ayr with ten trains continuing to Kilmarnock (and two extend to Glasgow Central via Barrhead).

There are eight trains per day southbound to Stranraer which operate on a regular two hourly frequency (there is a four-hour gap in the evenings).

On Sundays there are five trains each way, northbound to Ayr and southbound to Stranraer.[4]

December 2020

On Monday to Saturday, there are 12 trains per day northbound to Ayr running an irregular hourly/two-hourly frequency. Six trains continue to Kilmarnock (with one extending to Glasgow Central via Barrhead).

There are 4 trains per day southbound to Stranraer which operate every 4 hours.

Sunday services remain the same. [5]

From January 2021

Mon-Sat: There are nine trains per day northbound to Ayr/Kilmarnock (running on a roughly two-hourly frequency) and three trains southbound to Stranraer. Four trains continue to Kilmarnock. Only the 0700 service from Stranraer continues further to Glasgow Central, and the 0808 service from Glasgow Central continues to Stranraer. There is another service from Glasgow Central that terminates here at 18:56.

Sunday services remains the same.

Due to COVID-19 affecting signalling staff availability, the following services were suspended/truncated in January 2021:

0621 Ayr - Girvan

0653 Girvan - Kilmarnock

1809 Glasgow Central to Stranraer

1903 Stranraer to Kilmarnock

2108 Kilmarnock - Girvan

2203 Girvan to Ayr [6]

References

Notes

1. Brailsford 2017, Gaelic/English Station Index.
2. "GIRVAN STATION INCLUDING SIGNAL BOX". Historic Scotland. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
3. Butt, page 103
4. https://www.scotrail.co.uk/sites/default/files/assets/download_ct/20249_ayrshire_inverclyde_and_stranraer.pdf
5. https://www.scotrail.co.uk/sites/default/files/assets/download_ct/20201210/CXjba6hU8NFfjcC_PtSUArcm5SiALzB4aFNZW2OrDeA/20565_ayrshire-inverclyde_ttdec2020.pdf
6. https://twitter.com/ScotRail/status/1347506217036427265?s=19

Sources

• Brailsford, Martyn, ed. (December 2017) [1987]. Railway Track Diagrams 1: Scotland & Isle of Man (6th ed.). Frome: Trackmaps. ISBN 978-0-9549866-9-8.
• 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 978-1-85260-508-7. 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 978-1-85260-086-0. OCLC 22311137.

External links

• Girvan Railway Station