What is going on with the Stranraer Line?

mangyiscute · 20 Jan 2024

So I'm planning a trip in February to Scotland and one of the main things I want to do while I'm there is do the Stranraer line, but whether it's actually open is confusing me. On RTT, it's only showing replacement buses for current journeys, and when I search mid February, it shows only buses in weekdays, trains and buses on Saturdays and trains only on Sundays. Does this mean trains will be running - I obviously don't want to get a bus.

RailUK Forums

Peter Mugridge · 20 Jan 2024

I think it'll be rather random on this line until the issue with the damaged hotel building at Ayr is sorted out.

Falcon1200 · 20 Jan 2024

Latest update from National Rail Enquiries is 'disruption expected until at least the end of February';

Incident: Ayr | National Rail

Disruption between Ayr and Prestwick Town / Girvan / Kilmarnock until at least the end of February. Find details of all current incidents on National Rail Enquiries.

www.nationalrail.co.uk

On Monday 25 September, a property was on fire near the railway at Ayr. Some lines through the station remain closed for safety reasons. Most trains are unable to run to, from or through Ayr.

Disruption is expected until at least the end of February.

Effect on service:

The following alterations will apply:

Trains between Ayr and Glasgow Central will run between Prestwick Town and Glasgow Central only. Some late night trains will terminate at Kilwinning

A train shuttle service will run between Ayr and Prestwick Town. Trains will operate as follows:

XX:20 and XX:53 Prestwick Town to Ayr

XX:25 and XX:55 Ayr to Prestwick Town

Replacement buses are running between Kilmarnock / Ayr and Girvan

Replacement buses are running between Girvan and Stranraer

Bill57p9 · 20 Jan 2024

Trains will not be able to travel through Ayr station until the former station hotel has been made safe following September’s fire. Currently there are temporary buffer stops installed on the line through platform 4 to allow a 2 car class 156 shuttle every half hour between the north end of platform 4 and Prestwick. The OHLE is isolated and no other part of the station is accessible.

There is also no passenger train service between Kilmarnock and Troon, presumably due to pathing and stock for the shuttle. (The shuttle turns around ECS at the former Barassie platform 3 but with insufficient time to make it to Kilmarnock and back apart from on Sundays. The shuttle stock runs ECS to/from Kilmarnock first and last thing)

At the time of the fire there were 2 class 156s stranded south of Ayr which initially ran a Girvan to Stranraer shuttle, however this service was withdrawn once the units became due for servicing. I am unsure whether the units have been recovered.

Once trains can travel through Ayr station again I am guessing that a period of staff refamiliarisation may be required before full service can resume.

Once it is back up and running, I fully recommend a trip on the Stranraer line. The line is an under-appreciated gem with the last main line tablet signalling, some impressive inclines, good scenery and the last working semaphore distant signal in Scotland.

30907 · 20 Jan 2024

In terms of RTT: the weekday and Saturday buses are shown until 9/3.
The Saturday and Sunday trains are from the working timetable, so have not been deleted yet.
Wait till it reopens- Barrhill is unique in having the token instruments in the station not the signalbox.

185143 · 20 Jan 2024

Bill57p9 said:
Trains will not be able to travel through Ayr station until the former station hotel has been made safe following September’s fire. Currently there are temporary buffer stops installed on the line through platform 4 to allow a 2 car class 156 shuttle every half hour between the north end of platform 4 and Prestwick. The OHLE is isolated and no other part of the station is accessible.

There is also no passenger train service between Kilmarnock and Troon, presumably due to pathing and stock for the shuttle. (The shuttle turns around ECS at the former Barassie platform 3 but with insufficient time to make it to Kilmarnock and back apart from on Sundays. The shuttle stock runs ECS to/from Kilmarnock first and last thing)

At the time of the fire there were 2 class 156s stranded south of Ayr which initially ran a Girvan to Stranraer shuttle, however this service was withdrawn once the units became due for servicing. I am unsure whether the units have been recovered.

Once trains can travel through Ayr station again I am guessing that a period of staff refamiliarisation may be required before full service can resume.

Once it is back up and running, I fully recommend a trip on the Stranraer line. The line is an under-appreciated gem with the last main line tablet signalling, some impressive inclines, good scenery and the last working semaphore distant signal in Scotland.

AFAIK, one is stranded at Stranraer. Not sure about the other.

Surprised ScotRail haven't recovered them by road like ATW did with those 158s when there were issues with Barmouth viaduct on the Cambrian given it became apparent very quickly it was going to be an extended closure.

507020 · 21 Jan 2024

Is there not also a depot south of Ayr? I’m surprised no Class 380 units are also stranded.

Where does the Prestwick electric service reverse currently?

Mcr Warrior · 21 Jan 2024

507020 said:
Where does the Prestwick electric service reverse currently?

Possibly Falkland Junction (a mile and a half beyond Prestwick Town towards Newton-on-Ayr).

Perhaps one of our Scottish correspondents can confirm.

The Puddock · 21 Jan 2024

507020 said:
Is there not also a depot south of Ayr? I’m surprised no Class 380 units are also stranded.

Townhead Yard isn’t a maintenance depot. It only has 10 stabling roads, a toilet tanking facility and a washer - it doesn’t have any infrastructure for carrying out exams or fuelling diesel sets. The yard is also currently inside the exclusion zone around the hotel so it couldn’t be used anyway. It was only through good fortune that there weren’t any electric units stabled in Townhead at the time of the latest fire.

507020 said:
Where does the Prestwick electric service reverse currently?

Falkland Yard, same as the previous hotel-related closure.

mangyiscute · 21 Jan 2024

Perfect, thanks for the advice - sounds like there won't be any trains when i go then - a shame. Seems they're taking a very long time to fix this issue, can't imagine it wouldve taken more than a week had it been an important line.

The Puddock · 21 Jan 2024

mangyiscute said:
Seems they're taking a very long time to fix this issue, can't imagine it wouldve taken more than a week had it been an important line.

The railway is beholden to South Ayrshire Council and their contractors in this. In any case the remains of the hotel are heavily contaminated with asbestos and the structure is so unstable that bits of it are having to be removed by hand, stone by stone. It will take as long as it takes.

507020 · 21 Jan 2024

The Puddock said:
The yard is also currently inside the exclusion zone around the hotel so it couldn’t be used anyway. It was only through good fortune that there weren’t any electric units stabled in Townhead at the time

When I visited Ayr last year there were a number of stabled 380s visible from near Morrisons. I was suggesting that it would be a concern if part of the electric fleet was cut off, rather than a pair of 156s, since this would represent a greater number of carriages which would be both harder to split up to move by road, but would also be more likely to be needed, with the Barrhead service now operated with units from the same pool, so good fortune indeed.

Obviously not that they would be able to service a Girvan - Stranraer shuttle service indefinitely with that pair of 156s, as much as it would probably be better to recover them by road than leave them to rot, with Kilmarnock - Troon and Stranraer services not running and Barrhead electrified, they definitely aren’t short of 156s and it isn’t the priority over resolving the hotel issue.

The Puddock said:
Falkland Yard, same as the previous hotel-related closure.

Where is this? Is this where the facing crossover towards Newton-on-Ayr is located and is this the limit of electric traction currently, with the wires beyond there isolated?

mangyiscute said:
Perfect, thanks for the advice - sounds like there won't be any trains when i go then - a shame. Seems they're taking a very long time to fix this issue, can't imagine it wouldve taken more than a week had it been an important line.

You haven’t seen the size of the building that burnt down (which could have collapsed anyway even before it caught fire) or how close it is to the railway.

Would it normally have such frequent electric expresses to Glasgow if it wasn’t an important line?

Falcon1200 · 21 Jan 2024

mangyiscute said:
Seems they're taking a very long time to fix this issue, can't imagine it wouldve taken more than a week had it been an important line.

It is an important line! One of Scotland's busiest routes, hence its electrification back in 1986, and pre-Covid Ayr had 4 trains an hour to and from Glasgow. But as mentioned the issue is large, complex and beyond the railway's control.

The Puddock · 21 Jan 2024

507020 said:
Where is this? Is this where the facing crossover towards Newton-on-Ayr is located and is this the limit of electric traction currently, with the wires beyond there isolated?

Here's an extract from the Trackmaps diagram (low-res only because I'm not sure about copyright and fair use...)

The Prestwick Town terminators are using No.1 and No.2 Up Loops to change ends. The overhead wires beyond Newton-on-Ayr are isolated and will need some adjustment/replacement at Ayr station before the line can reopen. British Transport Police and Police Scotland are doing proactive patrols and monitoring in the area to try to prevent metal theft.

387masterrace · 21 Jan 2024

Meant to be taking a trip to Dumfries and Galloway in mid-march. Looking very touch and go whether it will be possible by train or not right now.

InOban · 21 Jan 2024

Unlikely. A large part of the old station building is being carefully dismantled and I have read that this won't be completed until the end of March

zwk500 · 21 Jan 2024

387masterrace said:
Meant to be taking a trip to Dumfries and Galloway in mid-march. Looking very touch and go whether it will be possible by train or not right now.

The most recent post on the thread dedicated to the Hotel (https://www.railforums.co.uk/thread...e-again-25-09-2023.249326/page-8#post-6596577) suggests there is still a lot of work to do before the line is able to be reopened.

Rescars · 21 Jan 2024

507020 said:
Is there not also a depot south of Ayr? I’m surprised no Class 380 units are also stranded.

Where does the Prestwick electric service reverse currently?

It's been quite a while since Stranraer had the capability to rewheel and reboiler a locomotive!

Arfur Mullard · 8 Mar 2024

This week's (7 March 2024) Stranraer Free Press (£1) has a picture of a 156 carriage being craned on to a low loader at Stranraer. The accompanying text says "two class 156 diesel units which have remained south of Ayr due to the fire at Ayr station hotel have now been removed from the tracks". Asked about a date for the Stranraer to Ayr rail link to reopen the (ScotRail) spokesperson added "there is no update at the moment on the return of services".

InOban · 8 Mar 2024

InOban said:
According to the Daily Record, the site won't be handed back to NR until early April and then NR have to check everything presumably before switching the power on. Because of the lengthy closure, traincrew need refresher courses and it looks unlikely that services will resume in time for the big Race meeting in the third week of April

I posted this yesterday but because the thread is buried in Other Forums - general discussion, you be unlikely to find it.

Kite159 · 8 Mar 2024

Taken them long enough to rescue the stricken units.

Dfatcontroller · 14 Mar 2024

Kite159 said:
Taken them long enough to rescue the stricken units.

At one point the re-opening date was to be prior to christmas 2023. That date came and went, as have numerous others since. Therefore the expensive process of removing the units by road hasn't been necessary as reopening has always been "a couple of weeks away".
The reopening date now is looking like July so the button was pushed to engage the recovery company.

03_179 · 14 Mar 2024

I remember the Ness Bridge being washed away.
With a week there was 37s and MkI taken up to dingwell/muir of Ord to cover.
Within a couple months a metal shed was built to do minor servicing.

Now take ten times longer

Dfatcontroller · 14 Mar 2024

03_179 said:
I remember the Ness Bridge being washed away.
With a week there was 37s and MkI taken up to dingwell/muir of Ord to cover.
Within a couple months a metal shed was built to do minor servicing.

Now take ten times longer

I'm sure the Ness Bridge didn't have a short-term timescale that kept being kicked down the road?

TUC · 14 Mar 2024

The Puddock said:
The railway is beholden to South Ayrshire Council and their contractors in this. In any case the remains of the hotel are heavily contaminated with asbestos and the structure is so unstable that bits of it are having to be removed by hand, stone by stone. It will take as long as it takes.

'It is will take as long as it takes' is the excuse used by lazy plodders. There will have been an assessment of how long it will take, and a contact issued to reflect that.

InOban · 14 Mar 2024

The same crane used to remove the vehicles has also been used to unload a rail tamper and other gear. They've been renovating a viaduct near Girvan while the line is closed.

TUC · 14 Mar 2024

There seems to be a culture in this country at the minute that lacks a willingness to say 'this contract requires delivery by xx date. Therefore we expect delivery by then'.

Deafdoggie · 14 Mar 2024

TUC said:
There seems to be a culture in this country at the minute that lacks a willingness to say 'this contract requires delivery by xx date. Therefore we expect delivery by then'.

People will happily quote for that. But it comes at a price. Most places want a cheap quote. But, if something unexpected turns up, it will delay it.

Dfatcontroller · 14 Mar 2024

Deafdoggie said:
People will happily quote for that. But it comes at a price. Most places want a cheap quote. But, if something unexpected turns up, it will delay it.

The precarious state of the building, the asbestos in the building and the repeated bad weather has certainly delayed operations.

mangyiscute · 14 Mar 2024

damn i was hoping to do a trip late june/early july to do that line, pretty much the only rail line in the country i still need to do

What is going on with the Stranraer Line?

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