Wemyss Bay railway station

{{Infobox station

| name = Wemyss Bay

| native_name = {{langx|gd|Bàgh Wemyss}}{{sfn|Brailsford|2017|loc=Gaelic/English Station Index}}

| symbol_location = gb

| symbol = rail

| image = Wemyss Bay railway station concourse 2018-08-25 2.jpg

| caption = Interior of the railway station, August 2018

| borough = Wemyss Bay, Inverclyde

| country = Scotland

| coordinates = {{coord|55.8769|-4.8891|type:railwaystation_region:GB_scale:10000|display=inline,title}}

| grid_name = Grid reference

| grid_position = {{gbmapscaled|NS192685|25|NS192685}}

| manager = ScotRail

| platforms = 2

| code = WMS

| transit_authority = SPT

| original = Greenock and Wemyss Bay Railway

| pregroup = Caledonian Railway

| postgroup = LMS

| years = 15 May 1865

| events = Opened{{sfn|Butt|1995|p=244}}

| mpassengers =

{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2019/20 |passengers={{decrease}} 0.202 million}}

{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2020/21 |passengers={{decrease}} 34,738}}

{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2021/22 |passengers={{increase}} 0.123 million}}

{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2022/23 |passengers={{increase}} 0.164 million}}

{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2023/24 |passengers={{increase}} 0.210 million}}

| footnotes = Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

| embedded = {{Infobox designation list|embed=yes

| designation1 = Category A

| designation1_feature =

| designation1_date = 10 June 1971

| designation1_number = LB12473{{Historic Environment Scotland|num=LB12473|desc=WEMYSS BAY RAILWAY STATION|access-date=15 April 2019}}

}}

File:Wemyss Bay station 1.jpg

File:Wemyss Bay station 2.jpg

Wemyss Bay railway station serves the village of Wemyss Bay, Inverclyde, Scotland. The station is a terminus on the Inverclyde Line, about {{convert|26|mi|km}} west of {{Stnlnk|Glasgow Central}}. The station incorporates the Caledonian MacBrayne ferry terminal connecting mainland Scotland to Rothesay on the Isle of Bute. The station is managed by ScotRail.

In Britain's 100 Best Railway Stations by Simon Jenkins, the station was one of only ten to be awarded five stars,{{cite web|url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/article/review-britains-100-best-railway-stations-by-simon-jenkins-w5mjwgvf5|title=Review: Britain's 100 Best Railway Stations by Simon Jenkins|first=Richard|last=Morrison|date=9 December 2017|access-date=27 December 2018|website=The Times}} and was the station photographed on the front cover.

The station won the 2023 World Cup of Stations, organised by the Rail Delivery Group.{{Cite web |date=2023-05-27 |title=Wemyss Bay is top of the stops and crowned the UK's best loved station and World Cup of Stations champion 2023 |url=https://media.raildeliverygroup.com/news/wemyss-bay-is-top-of-the-stops-and-crowned-the-uks-best-loved-station-and-world-cup-of-stations-champion-2023 |access-date=2023-05-27 |website=Rail Delivery Group News |language=en-GB}}

History

Work began in late 1862 on the single track Greenock and Wemyss Bay Railway branching from the main Glasgow, Paisley and Greenock Railway 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. A camping coach was positioned here by the Scottish Region in 1961, then two coaches from 1962 to 1969, with an additional one in 1965 only.{{sfn|McRae|1998|p=13}}

Train services were electrified in 1967 by British Rail, using the 25 kV AC system.

=Station building=

The station was designed by James Miller in 1903 for the Caledonian Railway and is remarkable in its use of glass and steel curves. The station is noted for its architectural qualities and, although one of Scotland's finest railway buildings and Category A listed, it has suffered from neglect. A major refurbishment scheme carried out jointly by Network Rail, Inverclyde Council and the Scottish Government from June 2014 to the spring of 2016 has seen the station buildings and adjacent ferry terminal fully restored.{{cite web |url=https://friendsofwemyssbaystation.co.uk/gallery/station-restored-july-2016/ |website=Friends of Wemyss Bay Station | title=Station Restored – July 2016 |access-date=2 September 2016}}{{cite web |url=http://www.largsandmillportnews.com/news/wemyssbay/13752467.Station_improvements_for_Wemyss_Bay/ |title=Station improvements for Wemyss Bay |website=Largs & Millport Weekly News |date=27 June 2014 |access-date=2 September 2016 |author=}}

Two platforms are currently in use, though there were three available until 1987.

Services

As of November 2024, there is a half-hourly service during the day to Glasgow Central via Paisley Gilmour Street. This service drops to hourly during the evenings, and all-day on Sundays. The average journey time is 55 minutes.{{Cite web |date=16 November 2024 |title=Scotrail timetables - "Ayrshire, Inverclyde & Stranraer" |url=https://www.scotrail.co.uk/plan-your-journey/timetables}}

{{rail line |next={{Stnlnk|Inverkip}}|route=ScotRail
Inverclyde Line |col={{ScotRail colour}} |lightcol={{National Rail colour|ScotRail|branch=Inverclyde Line}} }}

{{rail line|previous=Rothesay|route=Caledonian MacBrayne
Bute Ferry |col={{CalMac color}} }}

{{rail line |next={{Stnlnk|Inverkip}}
Line and station open|route=Caledonian Railway
Greenock and Wemyss Bay Railway |col={{Caledonian colour}} |lightcol={{Caledonian light}} }}

References

Bibliography

{{cite book |editor-last=Brailsford |editor-first=Martyn |title=Railway Track Diagrams 1: Scotland & Isle of Man |edition=6th |date=December 2017 |orig-year=1987 |publisher=Trackmaps |location=Frome |isbn=978-0-9549866-9-8 }}
{{Butt-Stations}}
{{Clark-Caley to the Coast}}
{{cite book | last=McCrorie |first= Ian |year=1986 |edition=1st |title=Clyde Pleasure Steamers |location=Greenock |publisher=Orr, Pollock & Co. Ltd |isbn=1-869850-00-9

|oclc=20596284 }}

{{cite book|last=McRae|first=Andrew|title=British Railways Camping Coach Holidays: A Tour of Britain in the 1950s and 1960s |volume=Scenes from the Past: 30 (Part Two) |publisher=Foxline |year=1998 |isbn=1-870119-53-3}}