 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Interior of the railway station, August 2018 | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Wemyss Bay,Inverclyde Scotland | ||||
| Coordinates | 55°52′37″N4°53′21″W / 55.8769°N 4.8891°W /55.8769; -4.8891 | ||||
| Grid reference | NS192685 | ||||
| Managed by | ScotRail | ||||
| Transit authority | SPT | ||||
| Platforms | 2 | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | WMS | ||||
| History | |||||
| Original company | Greenock and Wemyss Bay Railway | ||||
| Pre-grouping | Caledonian Railway | ||||
| Post-grouping | LMS | ||||
| Key dates | |||||
| 15 May 1865 | Opened[2] | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2019/20 |  0.202 million | ||||
| 2020/21 | 34,738 | ||||
| 2021/22 |  0.123 million | ||||
| 2022/23 | 0.164 million | ||||
| 2023/24 | 0.210 million | ||||
Listed Building – Category A | |||||
| Designated | 10 June 1971 | ||||
| Reference no. | LB12473[3] | ||||
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Wemyss Bay railway station serves the village ofWemyss Bay,Inverclyde,Scotland. The station is a terminus on theInverclyde Line, about 26 miles (42 km) west ofGlasgow Central. The station incorporates theCaledonian MacBrayneferry terminal connecting mainlandScotland toRothesay on theIsle of Bute. The station is managed byScotRail.
InBritain's 100 Best Railway Stations bySimon Jenkins, the station was one of only ten to be awarded five stars,[4] and was the station photographed on the front cover.
The station won the 2023 World Cup of Stations, organised by the Rail Delivery Group.[5]
Work began in late 1862 on thesingle trackGreenock and Wemyss Bay Railway branching from the mainGlasgow, Paisley and Greenock Railway atPort Glasgow and taking an inland route across to the coast atInverkip before descending to Wemyss Bay. This was to connect toClyde steamer services for Rothesay,Largs, andMillport, Isle of Cumbrae, allowing a combined train and steamer journey time of an hour and a half, compared with a typical time of three hours by steamer fromGlasgow. The Wemyss Bay Steamboat Company was formed to own the connecting steamers, competing with the private owners of other Clyde steamer services. The route opened on 15 May 1865, but over-ambitious timetables led to severe delays during the first year, damaging the company's reputation, and the route subsequently faced strong competition from other pierheads. Acamping coach was positioned here by theScottish Region in 1961, then two coaches from 1962 to 1969, with an additional one in 1965 only.[6]
Train services wereelectrified in 1967 byBritish Rail, using the25 kV AC system.
The station was designed byJames Miller in 1903 for theCaledonian Railway and is remarkable in its use of glass and steel curves. The station is noted for its architectural qualities and, although one of Scotland's finest railway buildings andCategory A listed, it has suffered from neglect. A major refurbishment scheme carried out jointly byNetwork Rail, Inverclyde Council and the Scottish Government from June 2014 to the spring of 2016 has seen the station buildings and adjacent ferry terminal fully restored.[7][8]
Two platforms are currently in use, though there were three available until 1987.
As of November 2024, there is a half-hourly service during the day toGlasgow Central viaPaisley Gilmour Street. This service drops to hourly during the evenings, and all-day on Sundays. The average journey time is 55 minutes.[9]
| Preceding station |  National Rail | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terminus | ScotRail Inverclyde Line | Inverkip | ||
 Ferry services | ||||
| Rothesay | Caledonian MacBrayne Bute Ferry | Terminus | ||
| Historical railways | ||||
| Terminus | Caledonian Railway Greenock and Wemyss Bay Railway | Inverkip Line and station open | ||
