One of Ayr’s most famous sons – engineer John Miller – is to be honoured with a plaque at ScotRail’s station in the town.

The tribute to the pioneering railway designer, who was born in Ayr in 1805, will be unveiled by Provost Winifred Sloan at a ceremony on Wednesday 25 April.

Miller led many of Scotland’s greatest rail projects, alongside business partner Thomas Grainger. These included Scotland’s first inter-city railway, the Edinburgh-Glasgow line, and what was once the largest masonry arch in the world, the Ballochmyle Viaduct.

The permanent plaque at Ayr station has been funded by the Institution of Civil Engineers, which is keen to ensure Ayrshire remembers Miller’s important role in the development of Scotland’s railways.

Professor Roland Paxton, chairman of the Institution’s panel on historic works, said: “Miller was Scotland’s Brunel, and it is appropriate that we should remember him in his home town.”

John Yellowlees, ScotRail’s external relations manager, said: “This is the latest in a series of excellent plaques from the Institution of Civil Engineers across the Scottish rail network and serves as a further reminder of our indebtedness to those who gave us the infrastructure that we take for granted today.”

Provost Sloan said: “I am pleased that the Institution, in partnership with Network Rail, ScotRail and the Glasgow & South Western Railway Association, has paid this permanent tribute to a famous son of Ayr.”

Another plaque commemorating Miller’s life was unveiled by Sarah Boyack MSP at Edinburgh’s Haymarket railway station in 2005, on the 200th anniversary of his birth.