Fairlie railway station

Fairlie Scottish Gaelic: Fairlidh[1]
Fairlie station viewed from the overbridge further North up the track
General information
Location	Fairlie, North Ayrshire Scotland
Coordinates	55.7515°N 4.8532°W / 55.7515; -4.8532
Grid reference	NS209546
Managed by	ScotRail
Transit authority	SPT
Platforms	1
Other information
Station code	FRL
History
Original company	G&SWR Largs Branch
Post-grouping	LMS
Key dates
1 June 1880	Opened as Fairlie
30 June 1952	Renamed Fairlie Town
2 March 1953	Renamed Fairlie High
1980s	Renamed Fairlie
Passengers
2019/20	41,914
2020/21	3,486
2021/22	20,370
2022/23	29,974
2023/24	36,164
Notes Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Fairlie railway station serves the village of Fairlie, North Ayrshire, Scotland. The station is managed by ScotRail and is on the Ayrshire Coast Line.

History

318 253 at Fairlie with a Glasgow bound train in the first month of electric trains to Largs

The station was originally opened on 1 June 1880 by the Glasgow and South Western Railway during the extension of the former Ardrossan Railway to Largs.^[2] It was renamed Fairlie Town on 30 June 1952,^[2] however this name was short-lived and the station became Fairlie High on 2 March 1953.^[2] A camping coach was positioned here by the Scottish Region from 1954 to 1955, two coaches from 1956 to 1957 and two coaches again from 1961 to 1963.^[3] The station was renamed back to its original title some time before 1986.

Following the construction of Hunterston A nuclear power station, a siding was provided for flask trains, which was subsequently used for Hunterston B. In the mid 1990s, this was moved to the Hunterston Ore Terminal.

Originally a two platform station, it now has only one platform, the former northbound platform. The southbound platform was demolished and its track removed as part of the electrification of the Largs branch of the Ayrshire Coast Line in 1986. The 1,004-yard (918 m) long Fairlie Tunnel is directly to the north of the station.

Services

• 1tph to Largs
• 1tph to Glasgow Central via Kilwinning and Paisley Gilmour Street

The basic service runs throughout the week, including Sundays (though Sunday trains make additional mainline stops). Additional trains run during the weekday business peaks.^[4]

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Largs		ScotRail Ayrshire Coast Line		West Kilbride
	Historical railways
Largs Line and station open		Glasgow and South Western Railway Largs Branch		West Kilbride Line and station open
Fairlie Pier Line and station closed		Glasgow and South Western Railway Largs Branch

References

Notes

1. Brailsford 2017, Gaelic/English Station Index.
2. Butt 1995, p. 93.
3. McRae 1998, p. 59.
4. Table 221 National Rail timetable, May 2016

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. (October 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. OL 11956311M.
• McRae, Andrew (1998). British Railways Camping Coach Holidays: A Tour of Britain in the 1950s and 1960s. Vol. Scenes from the Past: 30 (Part Two). Foxline. ISBN 1-870119-53-3.

External links

• Fairlie Station with a train for Largs