Girvan

Location type

Station

Names and dates

Girvan (New) (1877-1882)
Girvan (New) (1883-1886)
Girvan (New) (1890-1893)
Girvan (1893-)

Station code: GIR National Rail ScotRail
Where: South Ayrshire, Scotland
Opened on the Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway.
Open on the Glasgow to Ayr and Stranraer.

Description

This is a two platform station with a Streamline Moderne (Art Deco) styled building on the up platform. Platforms are linked by a subway.

This station was opened on the line south to Stranraer, ultimately replacing Girvan (Old). At its height, there were carriage sidings at the south end, on either side of the line, and a bay for southbound trains at the south end of the down platform. The signal box remains at the south end of the station's northbound platform.

Goods facilities were at Girvan (Old) station.

The station building is a replacement for the original.

The signal box ('B' listed) was opened in 1893 as Girvan No 3 and was extended in 1907. With the closure of Girvan No 1 [1st], at the Maidens and Dunure Light Railway (Glasgow and South Western Railway) junction, it was renamed Girvan No 2 [2nd] in 1935. Finally, with the closure of Girvan No 1 [2nd] box at Girvan Junction it became simply Girvan in 1973. It was in 1973 that the line north to Ayr was reduced to a single track.

The box controls the long loop which runs from the south end of the station to just north of the former Girvan Junction. There is a permanent way siding at the south end of the station (a shortened carriage siding) and a long headshunt at the north end of the loop which could be extended to the proposed Girvan Grangeston.

Going south from Girvan is a hard climb up the Glendoune Bank to Pinmore.

Tags

Station Streamline Moderne Art Deco

External links

Canmore site record
NLS Collection OS map of 1892-1914
NLS Collection OS map of 1944-67
NLS Map

Facilities

Bike rack
Free parking
Taxi rank
Toilets
Part time staffed
Listing: Station building and signalbox B listed.




Chronology Dates

07/02/1882Girvan and Portpatrick Junction RailwayPortpatrick Railway
Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway trains banned from Stranraer and Portpatrick by the Portpatrick Railway. Line closed temporarily from Girvan to Challoch Junction.
02/09/1886Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway
Girvan closed.
  /  /1892Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway
Ayr and Wigtownshire Railway bought by the Glasgow and South Western Railway. Girvan (Old) closed and reparations made to the Girvan and Portpatrick line.
26/06/1892Ayr and Wigtownshire RailwayGlasgow and South Western Railway
The Girvan to Challoch Junction line absorbed by the larger company.
01/04/1894Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway
Girvan (New) renamed Girvan.
02/03/1942Maidens and Dunure Railway (Glasgow and South Western Railway)
Turnberry to Girvan closed to passengers.
28/02/1955Maidens and Dunure Railway (Glasgow and South Western Railway)
Girvan to Turnberry to Heads of Ayr [2nd] (Butlins Camp) closed to freight.
14/06/1965Ayr and Mauchline Line (Glasgow and South Western Railway)
Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway
Maybole and Girvan Railway
Annbank (Annbank Junction) to Mauchline re-opened to passengers (with the closure of the Port Road the trains are diverted). The number of trains between Challoch Junction, Girvan and Ayr increases after closure of the Portpatrick Railway.
  /04/2010Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway
Sandstone bridge at Girvan replaced at a cost of £1M.

News items

23/05/2023South Scotland MSP repeats calls for rail electrification [Ayr Advertiser]
14/04/2023ScotRail CCTV: Intelligent CCTV cameras to be installed [Ardrossan Herald]
19/01/2023ScotRail punctuality figures: Sharon Dowey MSP slams performance [Ayr Advertiser]
28/09/2022Girvan and Prestwick Town railway stations to have 'eye in the sky' security cameras [Daily Record]
26/09/2022No vehicle access to Girvan railway station next week due to overnight roadworks [Daily Record]
12/08/2022Tonnes of timber to be moved by sea rather than by road [BBC News]
19/04/2022Rail bosses must keep promise to refurbish Girvan's station [Ayr Advertiser]
07/12/2021Ayrshire trains: Stranraer to Girvan line closed due to storm [Ayr Advertiser]
06/12/2021Girvan, Auchinleck and New Cumnock trains off this morning [Ayr Advertiser]
15/09/2021South Ayrshire trains: MSP presses transport minister on cuts [Ayr Advertiser]