The main entrance of Paisley Gilmour Street from County Square | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Paisley,Renfrewshire Scotland | ||||
| Coordinates | 55°50′51″N4°25′27″W / 55.8474°N 4.4242°W /55.8474; -4.4242 | ||||
| Grid reference | NS482642 | ||||
| Owned by | Network Rail | ||||
| Managed by | ScotRail | ||||
| Transit authority | SPT | ||||
| Platforms | 4 | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | PYG | ||||
| Fare zone | 2 | ||||
| History | |||||
| Original company | Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway &Glasgow, Paisley and Greenock Railway | ||||
| Pre-grouping | CR &G&SWR | ||||
| Post-grouping | LMS | ||||
| Key dates | |||||
| 14 July 1840 | Opened: 2 platforms and 2 lines[2] | ||||
| 1880 | Expanded to 4 lines and 4 platforms | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2019/20 | |||||
| 2020/21 | |||||
| 2021/22 | |||||
| Interchange | 67,215 | ||||
| 2022/23 | |||||
| Interchange | | ||||
| 2023/24 | |||||
| Interchange | | ||||
Listed Building – Category B | |||||
| Designated | 27 March 1985 | ||||
| Reference no. | LB38950[3] | ||||
| |||||
| |||||
Paisley Gilmour Street railway station is the largest of the four stations serving the town ofPaisley, Renfrewshire,Scotland (the others beingPaisley St. James,Paisley Canal andHawkhead), and acts as the town's principalrailway station and also servesGlasgow Airport with easy walking and cycling access as well as a bus service from the station to the terminal. The station is managed byScotRail and serves theAyrshire Coast Line andInverclyde Line,7+1⁄4 miles (11.7 km) west ofGlasgow Central. The station is protected as acategory B listed building.[3]

The station was opened on 14 July 1840 on theGlasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway (GPK&AR).[2] The station was used jointly by the GPK&AR and theGlasgow, Paisley and Greenock Railway (GP&GR). However, the GP&GR did not run services until March 1841 due to construction difficulties atBishopton.[4]
It was originally built with only two through platforms, with the GPK&R and the GP&GR lines separating to the west of the station. The station was later expanded to four platforms, two for the GPK&R and two for the GP&GR, with the lines separating to the east of the station.[5]
The section betweenBridge Street railway station and Paisley Gilmour Street station was a joint line: theGlasgow and Paisley Joint Railway.
The station was electrified as part of the 1967Inverclyde Line.Ayrshire Coast Line platforms (then numbered 1 and 2) were wired, however the wires finished a short distance west of the station. These were extended as part of the Ayrshire Line electrification byBritish Rail in 1986. This 1986 work coincided with the renumbering of the platforms with the Glasgow bound platforms numbered 1 (Inverclyde) and 3 (Ayrshire), and the outbound platforms numbers 2 (Inverclyde) and 4 (Ayrshire).
Following extensive works,[when?] Paisley Gilmour Street now has step-free access to all platforms, and the main access onto County Square, has been joined by a re-opened back access onto Back Sneddon Street. The access was originally built along with the station, but had closed and had been converted into a model shop for a number of years. Despite this conversion the shop retained the steps up to stations lower concourse, however it has been bricked up to prevent access. When the shop owner retired, it was decided to purchase the unit and convert it back as part of the step free access works for disabled people, as it would increase space within the station, and the works were fairly simple since the original stairs were retained. After re-opening it was signed as a dedicated exit to the station for those wishing to use the bus link to the airport, as the buses stop directly outside the door and the airport cycle route which passes outside.
A collision occurred between two trains at the eastern end of the station on 16 April 1979 which resulted in the deaths of seven people.


Paisley Gilmour Street is the busiest of the four Paisley stations. It has four platforms, with trains running on theInverclyde and Ayrshire Coast lines. It is the fourth busiest railway station in Scotland, afterGlasgow Central,Edinburgh Waverley, andGlasgow Queen Street.[6]
Connecting buses from this station also serve nearbyGlasgow Airport (GLA) which is approximately 2 km (1.2 mi) away. It is possible to buy a railway ticket to and from the airport, which includes not only the train journey but also the journey onMcGill's 757 service. TheGlasgow Airport Rail Link would have replaced this bus service with a direct train, but the project was cancelled in September 2009 due to public spending cuts.[7] It is also possible to cycle from the station to the Airport using the Airport Cycle Route.
It is an important interchange, not only for the airport bus link, but also for many local buses which depart from the area surrounding the town centre running to destinations throughout the town of Paisley,Renfrew and to the out of town shopping centre,Braehead. It is expected that Braehead will get a dedicated bus link in the future, possibly utilisingHillington East.
TheBritish Transport Police (BTP) maintain a small office here on Platform 1.

All services at Paisley Gilmour Street are operated by ScotRail. As of November 2024, the typical off-peak service in trains per hour (tph) is:[8]
| Preceding station | Following station | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnstone | ScotRail Ayrshire Coast Line | Glasgow Central | ||
| Paisley St James | ScotRail Inverclyde Line | Hillington West | ||
| Historical railways | ||||
| Paisley St James | Caledonian Railway Glasgow, Paisley and Greenock Railway | Connection with G&PJR | ||
| Connections with GP&GR and GPK&AR | Caledonian andGlasgow & South Western Railways Glasgow and Paisley Joint Railway | Cardonald | ||
| Elderslie Line open; station closed | Glasgow and South Western Railway Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway | Connection with G&PJR | ||
Trains connect Ayr along theGlasgow South Western Line toStranraer where a bus link runs, route350 operated by McLeans (except Sundays) toCairnryan.[9] for onward ferries toBelfast Harbour byStena Line andLarne Harbour byP&O Ferries.
Former connection closed in 2016: along theAyrshire Coast Line toTroon for theP&O Ferries service toLarne Harbour.
Trains run from Glasgow Central to Wemyss Bay station, connecting with Caledonian MacBrayne's service toRothesay on theIsle of Bute and to Gourock, connecting withArgyll Ferries' service toDunoon and various Caledonian MacBrayne emergency relief routes.
Trains also connect along theAyrshire Coast Line toArdrossan Harbour for theCaledonian MacBrayne service toBrodick.
Scottish Government has scrapped the £120m Glasgow Airport Rail Link amid public spending cut concerns.