Stewarton railway station

Stewarton Scottish Gaelic: Baile nan Stiùbhartach[1]
The rebuilt Stewarton station in 2010, looking towards Glasgow
General information
Location	Stewarton, East Ayrshire Scotland
Coordinates	55.6821°N 4.5181°W / 55.6821; -4.5181
Grid reference	NS417460
Managed by	ScotRail
Transit authority	SPT
Platforms	2
Other information
Station code	STT
Key dates
27 March 1871	Opened
7 November 1966	Closed
5 June 1967	Re-opened
1975	Line singled and one platform taken out of service
2009	Line doubled and Platform 2 reinstated
Passengers
2019/20	0.332 million
2020/21	34,904
2021/22	0.140 million
2022/23	0.183 million
2023/24	0.210 million
Notes Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Stewarton railway station is a railway station in the town of Stewarton, East Ayrshire, Scotland. The station is managed by ScotRail and is on the Glasgow South Western Line.

History

The station was opened on 27 March 1871 by the Glasgow, Barrhead and Kilmarnock Joint Railway. The station closed on 7 November 1966, however it reopened on 5 June 1967. In April 2007 a 'Ticket Issuing Machine' was installed in recognition of the relatively high passenger levels.

Operations to reinstate a second line between Lochridge Junction near Stewarton and Lugton started in 2008. During the upgrade work (on 27 January 2009), a bridge crossing the A735 road south of the station collapsed as an oil train was passing over it, resulting in several tank wagons in the consist derailing and catching fire.^[2] No-one was hurt in the accident; the line was closed between Barrhead and Kilmarnock for three weeks whilst the tankers were recovered and the damaged bridge rebuilt (the structure had already been scheduled for replacement as part of the re-doubling project prior to the accident).

When the work was completed in September 2009, the second platform was reinstated, the pedestrian underpass re-opened and full disabled access provided. An overspill car park opened on 31 January 2012, accessed from platform 2.

Stewarton opened for goods traffic on 23 March 1871 and closed on 5 October 1964.^[3] It handled general goods as well as livestock and horseboxes.^[4]

The station lay 19.02 miles south of the old terminus, Glasgow Saint Enoch.^[5]

The station has been adopted (2015) by the staff and clients of Hansel Village near Symington and they also maintain the displays of planted flowers on the platforms.

Services

2008/09

The station had a basic hourly service each way (including Sundays) to Glasgow and Kilmarnock, with some southbound trains continuing to either Carlisle or Girvan and Stranraer.

From December 2009

Since 13 December 2009 the station has had a basic half-hourly service each way to Glasgow and Kilmarnock; some trains run as express services from Dunlop non-stop to/from Glasgow Central in the May 2016 timetable. The Sunday service is hourly and now serves local stations beyond Barrhead northbound (except Crossmyloof).^[6]

Some southbound trains continue to either Carlisle, Newcastle, Ayr or Girvan and Stranraer.

A ticket machine is located on Platform 2.

From December 2012 all trains on a Sunday use Platform 1 only as does the 5.31am Glasgow bound weekday train.

2016 floods

In January 2016 a number of Virgin Trains were re-routed via Kilmarnock due to flood damage to a bridge on the Glasgow to Carlisle main line near Lockerbie. The full regular half-hourly service was suspended for a time and replaced with an hourly during off peak times.^[7]

Gallery

• 
  Stewarton station as it was in July 2005, looking towards Glasgow
• 
  The entrance to Stewarton railway station
• 
  Stewarton station infrastructure with the old underpass visible
• 
  The old pedestrian underpass as excavated during platform building works in 2009
• 
  Stewarton station in 2008 with a train heading to Kilmarnock
• 
  Looking towards Kilmarnock in 2010
• 
  Stewarton station facing towards Kilmarnock with track doubling work in evidence
• 
  Platform construction works under way in 2009
• 
  New underpass to Platform 2 in 2010
• 
  The new car park that opened on 31 January 2012

References

1. Brailsford, Martyn, ed. (December 2017) [1987]. "Gaelic/English Station Index". Railway Track Diagrams 1: Scotland & Isle of Man (6th ed.). Frome: Trackmaps. ISBN 978-0-9549866-9-8.
2. "Freight train fire under control" BBC News 27 January 2009; Retrieved 25 May 2017
3. Lindsay, David M. E. (2002). G&SWR Register of stations, routes & lines. G&SWR Association. Part 6.3, Page 18
4. Lindsay, David M. E. (2002). G&SWR Register of stations, routes & lines. G&SWR Association. Part 3.1, Page 4
5. Lindsay, David M. E. (2002). G&SWR Register of stations, routes & lines. G&SWR Association. Part 6.3, Page 18
6. Table 222 National Rail timetable, May 2017
7. "Rugby Rail Users Group". Archived from the original on 12 January 2016. Retrieved 20 January 2016.

• Butt, R. V. J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Patrick Stephens Ltd, Sparkford.

External links

• [1] Video and commentary on two navies who died whilst building the Lainshaw Viaduct.

• Train times and station information for Stewarton railway station from National Rail

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Kilmaurs		ScotRail Glasgow South Western Line		Dunlop
	Historical railways
Kilmaurs		Caledonian and Glasgow & South Western Railways Glasgow, Barrhead and Kilmarnock Joint Railway		Dunlop