Gourock railway station is a terminus of the Inverclyde Line,located at Gourock pierhead,Scotland. It was originally closely integrated with an extensive clyde steamer pier as well as serving the coastal resort town. The ferry services terminal is now located at the east end of platform 1,with provision for vehicle ferries.
The Caledonian Railway found that its service to Greenock Central station,which was an inconvenient walk away from the quay,was losing Clyde steamer trade to the new Glasgow and South Western Railway terminal at Greenock Princes Pier railway station. So the Caledonian extended its line through a new tunnel to the coastal resort town of Gourock. The railway ran on the seaward side of Shore Street to the terminal,which opened on 1 June 1889.[2] The headquarters of the Caledonian steamer fleet was subsequently based there. The station was designed by the architect,James Miller,and engineer-in-chief,George Graham.[3] The initial services in 1889 were 26 trains daily from Glasgow to Gourock,with one additional service on Saturdays. The fastest journey time was 40 minutes,and each train could carry 604 passengers;224 in first class and the rest in third class.[2]
Inspector Halliday,from the western district of the Caledonian Railway,was appointed stationmaster,and Mr Anderson,assistant stationmaster at Cathcart Street Station at Greenock,was appointed assistant stationmaster.[4]
The station was built to accommodate large numbers of passengers boarding the steamers. Originally the curving station platform had 17 canopy bays each side over three railway lines,with three bays of full width and the westernmost 19 bays covering the one line which continued on. A central concourse with adjacent offices and stores fronted the pier.
On 16 June 1935,a holiday train overran the platform and collided with the buffers. Three people were hospitalised.[5]
On 12 December 1957,a fire broke out in the station building. The refreshment room and waiting rooms were badly damaged.[6]
Class 318 train at original platform canopies remaining in 2006Class 314 train leaving the pierhead as a ferry sets off for Dunoon
The line from Glasgow was electrified as part of the Inverclyde Line electrification scheme by British Rail. The 25 kV AC system was used,and electric operation commenced in September 1967.
In the 1980s,the westernmost end of the station was cut back by 18 bays,and in the 1990s,the adjacent timber quay was demolished. Subsequently,the remaining glazed canopies over the platforms were taken down,leaving only the cast iron supporting structure,slate roofs and glazed canopies over a section incorporating a ticket office and a waiting room. The adjacent Bay Hotel was also demolished in the 1990s,with its site being grassed over. In 2006,a portable ticket office was installed at the end wall,which had been erected when the station was cut back and the old ticket office was closed.
Approval was given in 1999 for plans by Inverclyde Council,Caledonian MacBrayne and Railtrack,which involved shortening the railway tracks and constructing a new station adjacent to Caledonian MacBrayne's headquarters. That formed part of a major development scheme,with the space formerly occupied by the station,together with the grassed area which had been the site of the Bay Hotel,providing space for two major supermarkets and housing. Alexander George was appointed preferred developer.
Landscaped approach from Shore Street to Gourock railway station,with MV Argyle and MV Coruisk heading to and from the ferry terminal.
However,Network Rail was slow to come to an agreement on relocating the station. The work involved in shortening the tracks would have involved considerable expense and the closure of the station for 18 months. The delay left the station looking rather neglected. Near the end of September 2006,new plans were announced,following intervention by the transport minister Tavish Scott. A considerable saving was to be made by not moving the station so far,so that the work involved was reduced,with the station only closing for four or five weeks. Only one supermarket was now proposed,with 580 houses being constructed in blocks facing out onto the Clyde.[7]
In the interim,the station was renovated,at a predicted cost of £630,000,to provide a new entrance,glass roof and toilets,as well as improved waiting facilities. David Simpson,route director of Network Rail in Scotland,advised that essential work had to be carried out to make the station more comfortable for the 400,000 passengers using it every year,while work would continue to "explore the longer-term options for the station with our industry partners".[8]
The new ticket office in November 2010
A new station building,designed by IDP Architects,[9] was completed in 2010. Work on demolishing the existing canopies and providing new shelters on platforms proceeded through 2011. The new station building was officially opened on 1 August 2012 by Alex Neil MSP and Gourock Councillor Chris McEleny,with all works having cost £8m.[10]
As part of a new one-way system completed in 2016,the station approach was reorganised,with new car parking and a promenade along past Kempock Point.
The station is fully staffed seven days per week throughout the hours of service. Three platforms are in use.
Services
Station buildings seen from platform 1,with a Class 385 train in service.
As of November 2024,there is typically a half-hourly service to Glasgow Central,which calls at all stations to Port Glasgow,then semi-fast to Glasgow Central via Paisley Gilmour Street. There are a small number of additional services during peak hours. On Sunday. the service is still 2 tph,but many trains operate as all-stations stopping services after Port Glasgow.[11]
The ferry terminal is the headquarters of Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac),which runs a passenger ferries to Dunoon and Kilcreggan from the pier. The vehicle linkspan and foot passenger steps are sited at the end of Platform 1,about 340 metres (1,120ft) from the railway station entrance,at the end of its access road leading from Tarbert Street.
Services originated with the Caledonian Steam Packet Company (CSP) in 1889,it began car ferry services in 1954 using ferries with a car hoist to get vehicles to the tidal height of the pier,starting with MV Arran. In 1971 a roll on/roll off hydraulic linkspan was installed,shortly after this CSP was merged into CalMac. In 2011 Gourock services to Dunoon were made pedestrian only,the linkspan continued to be used for vehicles when ferry traffic was diverted from Wemyss Bar or Ardrossan,due to high winds or maintenance work.[12] The passenger only ferry services were put to tender,and the contract awarded to CalMac subsidiary Argyll Ferries,operating MVArgyll Flyer and MVAli Cat on the Dunoon run. The subsidiary was merged into CalMac in 2019. MVChieftain serves Kilcreggan.
Argyll and Bute is one of 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area. The current lord-lieutenant for Argyll and Bute is Jane Margaret MacLeod. The administrative centre for the council area is in Lochgilphead at Kilmory Castle, a 19th-century Gothic Revival building and estate. The current council leader is Councillor Jim Lynch.
Gourock is a town in the Inverclyde council area and formerly a burgh of the County of Renfrew in the west of Scotland. It was a seaside resort on the East shore of the upper Firth of Clyde. Its main function today is as a residential area, extending contiguously from Greenock, with a railway terminus and ferry services across the Clyde.
Caledonian MacBrayne, in short form CalMac, is the trade name of CalMac Ferries Ltd, the major operator of passenger and vehicle ferries to the west coast of Scotland, serving ports on the mainland and 22 of the major islands. It is a subsidiary of holding company David MacBrayne, which is owned by the Scottish Government.
MV The Second Snark is a small passenger ferry, built in 1938 by William Denny of Dumbarton, later operated by Clyde Marine Services on the Firth of Clyde, Scotland.
The Inverclyde Line is a railway line running from Glasgow Central station through Paisley and a series of stations to the south of the River Clyde and the Firth of Clyde, terminating at Gourock and Wemyss Bay, where it connects to Caledonian MacBrayne ferry services. The line has been in operation since the 1840s between Glasgow and Greenock and was the first passenger service to follow the River Clyde to the coast. The line was electrified in 1967.
Greenock West railway station is a station in Greenock, Scotland, located on the Inverclyde Line which runs from Gourock to Glasgow Central. The route is currently operated by ScotRail under the auspices of Strathclyde Partnership for Transport. Each service to and from Glasgow on the Inverclyde Line stops at this station.
The Caledonian Steam Packet Company provided a scheduled shipping service, carrying freight and passengers, on the west coast of Scotland. Formed in 1889 to complement the services of the Caledonian Railway, the company expanded by taking over rival ferry companies. In 1973, they were merged with MacBraynes as Caledonian MacBrayne.
The Caledonian MacBrayne fleet is the largest fleet of car and passenger ferries in the United Kingdom, with 35 ferries in operation, and one undergoing crew familiarisation and harbour berthing trials ahead of being introduced into service. A further 5 vessels are currently under construction for the fleet. The company provides lifeline services to 23 islands off the west coast of Scotland, as well as operating routes in the Firth of Clyde.
MV Ali Cat is a motor catamaran passenger ferry owned by Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited and operated by Caledonian MacBrayne, which along with MV Argyll Flyer provides a service from Dunoon to Gourock across the Firth of Clyde.
MV Jupiter was a passenger and vehicle ferry in the fleet of Caledonian MacBrayne in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland. She was the oldest of three "streakers" and the third River Clyde ship to bear the name 'Jupiter'. Her open car deck was accessible by stern and side ramps ro-ro. She entered service in 1974, and operated the Gourock to Dunoon crossing for much of her career. In 2006, she became the oldest vessel in the CalMac fleet and continued in service with them until 2010. Jupiter was sold for breaking in 2011.
MV Pioneer is a stern / side loading ferry built in 1974, in service for 29 years covering nearly all of Caledonian MacBrayne's routes. She now serves the islands of São Tomé and Príncipe in the Gulf of Guinea and was chartered to rescue Liberian refugees.
MV Orion is a ro-ro passenger and vehicle ferry. Saturn was operated by Caledonian MacBrayne in the Firth of Clyde in Scotland between 1978 and 2011, for the first decade of her career on the Rothesay crossing. Later, she also saw service on the Dunoon and Brodick crossings, as well as on short cruises around the Clyde.
MV Pentalina-B was a ferry which operated on a variety of Scottish routes. Launched in 1970 as MV Iona, she was the first drive-through roll-on/roll-off ferry built for the David MacBrayne fleet. She was the first ship in the company's history to have bridge-controlled engines and geared transmission, rather than direct drive. During her career she inaugurated more endloading linkspans than the rest of the fleet put together. Purchased by Pentland Ferries in 1997, she was renamed MV Pentalina-B and operated across the Pentland Firth until the arrival of their new vessel. In 2009, she was sold to a Cape Verde owner.
MV Juno was a passenger and vehicle ferry operated by Caledonian MacBrayne on the Firth of Clyde, Scotland between 1974 and 2007. She was the middle of three vessels nicknamed "streakers", the first in the Calmac fleet to be fitted with Voith Schneider Propellers. Juno left service in early 2007 and was laid up at Rosneath for 4 years. On 18 May 2011, she was beached there for scrapping and was gone by the end of July.
MV Cowal was a hoist-loading vehicle ferry introduced by Caledonian Steam Packet Company in 1954. She spent the whole of her 24 years with Caledonian MacBrayne on the Upper Clyde crossings.
David MacBrayne is a limited company owned by the Scottish Government. Formed in 1851 as the private shipping company David Hutcheson & Co. with three partners, David Hutcheson, Alexander Hutcheson and David MacBrayne, it passed in 1878 to David MacBrayne.
Argyll Ferries Ltd was a ferry company formed in January 2011 by the Scottish Governments department of Transport Scotland via the parent company David MacBrayne Ltd to tender for the Dunoon-to-Gourock public service route. Argyll Ferries were announced as the preferred bidder at the end of May 2011, contracts were exchanged on 7 June 2011 for the service, the service then commenced 23 days later on 30 June 2011.
MV Argyll Flyer is a passenger ferry in the Caledonian MacBrayne fleet, which along with MV Ali Cat provides a service in Scotland, across the Firth of Clyde from Dunoon to Gourock pierhead and railway station.
Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited owns the ferries, ports, harbours and infrastructure for the ferry services serving the west coast of Scotland, the Firth of Clyde and the Northern Isles.
Rosneath Peninsula is a peninsula in Argyll and Bute, western Scotland, formerly in the historic county of Dunbartonshire. The peninsula is formed by the Gare Loch in the east, and Loch Long in the west, both merge with the upper Firth of Clyde.
References
↑ Brailsford, Martyn, ed. (December 2017) [1987]. "Gaelic/English Station Index". Railway Track Diagrams 1: Scotland & Isle of Man (6thed.). Frome: Trackmaps. ISBN978-0-9549866-9-8.
↑ "James Miller". Dictionary of Scottish Architects. Historic Scotland. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
↑ "Railway Appointments at Gourock". Greenock Telegraph and Clyde Shipping Gazette. England. 4 May 1889. Retrieved 25 March 2019– via British Newspaper Archive.
↑ "Buffer Crash at Gourock". Aberdeen Press and Journal. England. 17 June 1935. Retrieved 25 March 2019– via British Newspaper Archive.
↑ "Blaze at Rail Station". Coventry Evening Telegraph. England. 12 December 1957. Retrieved 25 March 2019– via British Newspaper Archive.
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