The station was opened on 1 October 1862 by the Portpatrick Railway; however, the current station buildings date from 1877 under the PortpatrickRailways Act 1877. Prior to that date, the station was rebuilt in 1877. The original facility was a concrete platform. Passengers and mail were meant to use the station at Portpatrick. The Portpatrick ferry service was never successful as, despite its apparently attractive location and significant initial investment, the harbour there was unsuitable as it was too small and insufficiently sheltered. A ferry service had commenced by 1861 but passengers made their way from Stranraer Town station to the steamers, not Stranraer Harbour station. The first daily ferry service started on 1 October 1862 to Larne and was provided by. However, it only lasted until 31 December 1863. Originally named Stranraer Harbour, the station name was simplified to Stranraer by 1996. The Stena Line ferry service to Larne was moved to Belfast on 12 November 1995. P&O Ferries still sails there from nearby Cairnryan. Stena stopped serving Stranraer on 21 November 2011, having invested £200 million on a new route to Loch Ryan Port, near Cairnryan. ScotRail has cut services to Stranraer since the ferry services started departing from further up Loch Ryan and ferry passengers who travel by rail now face a long journey to Ayr by bus. As of the date of their Network Statement 2018, Network Rail do not own the station.
Services 2020
On Monday to Saturdays, There is a regular 2 hourly service with 9 trains per day northbound to Kilmarnock with the first trains departing at 0700 and the last one at 2100, 2 of the trains extend through to. On Sundays, 5 trains per day operate to/from Ayr where passengers can change for connections to Glasgow.
ScotRail withdrew the rail service from Stranraer in September 2018 because of ongoing problems with South Ayrshire Council addressing safety issues at Ayr's old Station Hotel. ScotRail provided a replacement bus service, adding considerably to journey times. However, the service was reinstated in November 2018.
Bus link to Cairnryan ferry terminals
In September 2013 a bus link, route 350 operated by McLeans, was introduced between the railway station and the P&O Ferries and Stena Line ferry terminals at Cairnryan. The bus also serves the centre of Stranraer. Note this service meets all trains but does not operate on Sundays.
Future
The station is the southern terminal of the South West ScotlandCommunity Rail Partnership which comprises local Community Councils, representation from South Ayrshire Council, ScotRail as well as private individuals. SWSCRP has adopted the station and has provided tubs, shrubs and plants. These are tended to by South West Scotland Station Adopters Gardening Group. Plans by Dumfries & Galloway Council, to close the station and replace it by a new structure a few hundred metres further east to create a new transport hub for Stranraer have been ditched and the ring-fenced money used on other projects. On 21 November 2011, Stena Line operations ceased at Stranraer and were transferred a few miles up Loch Ryan to Cairnryan. The plans for a new station have caused controversy among the rail enthusiast community, due to fact that, unlike Harbour Station, it will not be adequate for hosting steam trains.
