Kilmarnock Railway Station (Gael: Cill Mheàrnaig) is located a quarter-mile (0.4 km) northwest of the centre of Kilmarnock in East Ayrshire. The current structure is the town's third railway station and dates from 1878. While the Kilmarnock and Troon Railway opened in 1812, this was a horse-drawn waggonway primarily designed for hauling coal, although it was to become increasingly popular with passengers. The Kilmarnock & Ayr Railway arrived in 1837 and this evolved into the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock, Ayr Railway in 1843, becoming the Glasgow and South Western Railway in 1850. A grey sandstone station house survives from that date, located close to the present station.
Kilmarnock Station was built in the Scots Baronial style, with a prominent Italianate tower, all constructed of red sandstone. Operated by ScotRail, Kilmarnock Railway Station is staffed part-time. It lies to the southeast of a junction between single-track lines from Glasgow Central and Ayr. Four platforms are in operation for services connecting Glasgow and Stranraer with Dumfries, Carlisle and Newcastle, with around 430,000 passengers annually boarding or alighting here. It is preceded by Troon Railway Station, 8 miles (13 km) to the southwest, and followed by Auchinleck, 12 miles (20 km) to the southeast.
