, symbol_location = gb , symbol = rail , image = 380106 at Largs Station.jpg , caption = The bridge and platforms at Largs. A Class 380 is about to depart for Glasgow Central , borough =

Largs Largs ( gd, An Leargaidh Ghallda) is a town on the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland, about from Glasgow. The original name means "the slopes" (''An Leargaidh'') in Scottish Gaelic. A popular seaside resort with a pier, the town mark ...

, North Ayrshire , country = Scotland , coordinates = , grid_name =

Grid reference A projected coordinate system, also known as a projected coordinate reference system, a planar coordinate system, or grid reference system, is a type of spatial reference system that represents locations on the Earth using cartesian coordin ...

, grid_position = , manager = ScotRail , platforms = 2 (formerly 4) , code = LAR , transit_authority = SPT , original = G&SWR

Largs Branch The Largs Branch is a railway line in Scotland, serving communities on the north Ayrshire Coast, as well as the deep water ocean terminal at Hunterston. It branches from the Glasgow to Ayr line at Kilwinning. The first part was formed when the A ...

, postgroup = LMS , years = 1 June 1885 , events = OpenedButt (1995), page 139 , mpassengers = , footnotes = Passenger statistics from the

Office of Rail and Road The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) is a non-ministerial government department responsible for the economic and safety regulation of Britain's railways, and the economic monitoring of National Highways. ORR regulates Network Rail by setting its ...

Largs railway station is a

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...

in the town of

, North Ayrshire,

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

. The station is managed by ScotRail and is owned by

Network Rail Network Rail Limited is the owner (via its subsidiary Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, which was known as Railtrack plc before 2002) and infrastructure manager of most of the railway network in Great Britain. Network Rail is an "arm's leng ...

. It is on the

Ayrshire Coast Line The Ayrshire Coast Line is one of the lines within the Strathclyde suburban rail network in Scotland. It has 26 stations and connects the Ayrshire coast to Glasgow. There are three branches, to , and , all running into the high level at . ...

, south west of .

History

The station was originally opened on 1 June 1885 by the Glasgow and South Western Railway, as the terminus of the extension of the former

Ardrossan Railway The Ardrossan Railway was a railway company in Scotland, whose line was built in the mid-19th century. It primarily ran services between Kilwinning and Ardrossan, as well as freight services to and from collieries between Kilwinning and Perceton. ...

to Largs. The station originally had four platforms with additional stabling lines, a glazed canopy and a footbridge spanning the platforms. By the time the electrification project commenced only three platforms and the centre stabling line were in operation. A fire in 1985 destroyed the station signal box and shortly afterwards work was undertaken to remodel & rationalise the track layout and modernise the signalling ahead of the planned electrification (as part of the wider Ayrshire Coast scheme). Once this was completed by British Rail in 1987, only two platforms remained in use with the line southwards having been reduced to

single track Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

. The standard 25 kV A.C overhead system was used, with the signalling system supervised from Paisley signalling centre.

1995 demolition in accident

On 11 July 1995 an early morning Class 318 from failed to stop. It crashed through the buffers and the back of the ticket office, severely damaging parts of the station building, and demolished two shops before coming to a stop next to the taxi rank on Main Street. An eye-witness described the noise with the station shaking as the train "was ploughing through it like a set of dominoes", then "the whole corner of the building disintegrating". Although the driver, the guard and three others suffered injuries, there was considerable relief that no-one was killed.

Reconstruction: new station building

For several years there were discussions of redevelopment and replacement buildings, and in 2001 a small ticket office was constructed. A £200,000 makeover (including a new station building) was completed in 2005, albeit much simpler than the original.

Services

There is an hourly service to and from Glasgow Central (including Sundays), with additional services during weekday peak periods. Trains usually use Platform 2, with the exception of the 0722 and 1953 services to Glasgow, which use Platform 1.

References

Notes

Sources

* * * {{Railway stations served by Abellio Scotrail Train collisions in Scotland Railway stations in North Ayrshire Former Glasgow and South Western Railway stations Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1885 Railway stations serving harbours and ports in the United Kingdom Railway stations served by ScotRail SPT railway stations Largs