Stranraer | |
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Scottish Gaelic: An t-Sròn Reamhar | |
156 434 at Stranraer
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Location | |
Place | Stranraer |
Local authority | Dumfries and Galloway |
Coordinates | 54°54′33″N 5°01′30″W / 54.9093°N 5.0249°WCoordinates: 54°54′33″N 5°01′30″W / 54.9093°N 5.0249°W |
Grid reference | NX062613 |
Operations | |
Station code | STR |
Managed by | Abellio ScotRail |
Owned by | Network Rail |
Number of platforms | 1 |
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries |
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Annual rail passenger usage* | |
2011/12 | 45,388 |
2012/13 | 45,292 |
2013/14 | 45,530 |
2014/15 | 51,634 |
2015/16 | 53,968 |
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 | Renamed Stranraer |
National Rail – UK railway stations | |
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Stranraer from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year. | |
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.
The station was opened on 1 October 1862 by the Portpatrick Railway; however, the current station buildings date from 1877 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 was never successful as, despite its apparently attractive location and significant initial investment, the harbour there was unsuitable as it was too small and insufficiently sheltered.
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. Originally named Stranraer Harbour, the station name was simplified to Stranraer by 1996.
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. ScotRail has cut services to Stranraer since the ferry services started departing from further up Loch Ryan and ferry passengers who travel by rail are now bussed to Ayr.
The one through train that used to run from here to Carlisle and Newcastle was withdrawn at the December 2009 timetable change.