New railway station proposal for Largs

[och aye]

Is this another pie in the sky campaign or does this have any serious chance of becoming reality?

Multi-million pound new railway station proposal for Largs is revealed

A NEW multi-million pound railway station in Largs have moved a step closer.

www.largsandmillportnews.com

A NEW multi-million pound railway station in Largs have moved a step closer.


The Scottish Government have confirmed that the much-vaunted project to boost travel and tourism in the town is under consideration as part of a major traffic infrastructure overhaul.


The proposal for the new attraction at Largs Yacht Haven raised by constituency MSP Kenneth Gibson in the Scottish Parliament this week.


The proposal to boost travel and tourism in the town was first floated almost 40 years ago but was dismissed as too costly at the time.


But it is now back on the table and being hailed as potential game changer for tourism in the area, as well as providing a solution to the Largs' car parking problems as it would include a park and ride facility.


The potential move has also been welcomed by Largs Yacht Haven.


Manager Carolyn Elder said: "I have read the proposal with interest.


"In our early planning in the 1980s we looked into building an unmanned halt at the Yacht Haven to benefit boat owners, charterers and staff for both the Yacht Haven and Kelburn Country Centre.



"As it would be the second last stop on the Largs to Glasgow line it would not impact the railway schedule hugely.


"We would welcome the addition of a halt at this end of town and the additional benefits it would bring to both the businesses and the local community.

 

[Dr Hoo]

I would have thought that an additional station (to be called at in both directions, of course) would have been a major challenge on what is already quite a long (effectively) single electrified line from Ardrossan. Electrifying the dormant freight line from Hunterston and reinstating some platforms would be pretty expensive to address that issue.

Additionally I am far from convinced that a park-and-ride facility at the new station would "solve Largs' parking problems". Nobody is going to rely on an hourly train service for the 'last mile'.

 

[Scotrail314209]

I think the new station is going to be aimed to serve the Southern half of Largs, with the commuters towards Glasgow.

But I do agree, if you want to make it sustainable then you should really electrify the freight lines and reinstate platforms at West Kilbride and Ardrossan South Beach. With some good timings (and if the paths were there) you could do a 3tph service between Ardrossan and Glasgow, something I think we need.

 

[gingerheid]

This seems like a crazy suggestion, unless they are planning to build flats on every bit of land between Largs and Fairlie.

A new station at the marina would be closer than the existing Largs station for a remarkably small number of houses (about 7 streets, plus the marina and Kelburn and neither seem likely to attract masses of people.)

If you were looking to add a new station to that line it would actually be easier to justify adding yet another station in Ardrossan (at Dalry Rd), and I'm not suggesting that's a good idea!

I'd suggest the railway could more usefully be improved by a half hourly service, and that public transport in Largs could more usefully be improved by a better local bus service.

 

[hexagon789]

I would say a greater frequency service was of higher priority than this scheme which does look to be more of a sop than a solution.

 

[Scotrail314209]

I would say a greater frequency service was of higher priority than this scheme which does look to be more of a sop than a solution.

I agree on frequency. Pre COVID it was ridiculous how little seats were left on a Largs train by the time it got to Kilwinning.

 

[hexagon789]

I agree on frequency. Pre COVID it was ridiculous how little seats were left on a Largs train by the time it got to Kilwinning.

And how often those trains were only 3-car 380s, not 4-car

 

[fairliered]

Electrifying the second line from Ardrossan to Hunterston should not be too difficult or expensive. South Beach and West Kilbride have underbridges adjacent, so disabled access to a second platform would be possible.

If the McGills and local bus services were extended to the marina, with the Stagecoach service passing, there would be 9 buses an hour into Largs, as well as the trains, so a proper interchange could be provided.

 

[Scotrail314209]

Electrifying the second line from Ardrossan to Hunterston should not be too difficult or expensive. South Beach and West Kilbride have underbridges adjacent, so disabled access to a second platform would be possible.

If the McGills and local bus services were extended to the marina, with the Stagecoach service passing, there would be 9 buses an hour into Largs, as well as the trains, so a proper interchange could be provided.

The double track will also do good from a punctuality aspect. In the rare occasion that a train to Ardrossan/Largs is severely late, it endures an extended wait at Saltcoats to allow for the Largs service to clear the branch. With a second track, this would be avoided.

You could also link up the Ardrossan Harbour branch to a new 2nd platform at Ardrossan South Beach, therefore eliminating the wait.

A few services throughout the day have planned waits at Saltcoats to allow a train to clear:

2T01 has a 4 minute wait between 07:57 and 08:01 to allow 1T00 from Largs to clear the branch
2T03 only has 2 minutes, but it tends to arrive early.

Although this is only a few minutes, it'd still save the trains a little bit of a dwell.

 

[alangla]

Additionally I am far from convinced that a park-and-ride facility at the new station would "solve Largs' parking problems". Nobody is going to rely on an hourly train service for the 'last mile'.

Is it not more likely that it’s to solve the problem of people parking & taking the train OUT of Largs rather than visitors coming in? Looks like there’s not a lot of off-street parking around the station. The tourist car parks all seem to be nearer Nardini’s about 400 yards away.
In saying that, if you wanted to Park & Ride and were even slightly north of Largs town centre, surely Wemyss Bay would be a good option. Decent size car park & marginally quicker to Glasgow Central. Cheaper too at £13.20 vs £15.70 for an anytime day return.

 

[gingerheid]

Is it not more likely that it’s to solve the problem of people parking & taking the train OUT of Largs rather than visitors coming in? Looks like there’s not a lot of off-street parking around the station. The tourist car parks all seem to be nearer Nardini’s about 400 yards away.
In saying that, if you wanted to Park & Ride and were even slightly north of Largs town centre, surely Wemyss Bay would be a good option. Decent size car park & marginally quicker to Glasgow Central. Cheaper too at £13.20 vs £15.70 for an anytime day return.

I'm honestly sure Park and Ride from Largs is somewhere in Glasgow (or wherever). If you've got into a car you're going to stay in it, rather than rely on those trains...

 

[Carntyne]

Not a chance this will happen. Pie in the sky for sure.

 

[hexagon789]

Not a chance this will happen. Pie in the sky for sure.

I think a new station building like that at Gourock is feasible, but not the entire scheme as mentioned in the article.

The parking is what it is, don't really see where the space is to solve that easily