ALL CHANGE AT RYDE! NEW BOOK EXAMINES THE UPGRADING OF ISLAND LINE

A new book that looks into the upgrading of Island Line including the significant infrastructure works, the withdrawal of old rolling stock and the introduction of their replacements, has been released. Richard Long’s ‘Upgrading The Isle of Wight’s Railway: All Change at Ryde’ examines what went wrong, what went right and how the global pandemic impacted the scheme. Richard has draw upon unique insights provided by some of the key figures involved in the Island Line upgrade, as well as by the current owners of many of the withdrawn 1938 Stock units. The foreword is provided by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill, Chair of Network Rail. Describing himself as a ‘full-time dad and part-time writer’, life-long railway enthusiast Richard Long was born in Hampshire in 1972 and has lived in East London for the past 25 years. A history graduate and former bookseller, he has written a number of books about railways on the Isle of Wight, and elsewhere in the south of England. Richard’s previous titles include Ryde Rail: A History of Tube Trains on the Isle of Wight, and The St Ives Branch Line: A History (shortlisted for a 2023 Holyer An Gof Publishers’ Award). The 232-page hardback is priced at £25 and is available through Pen & Sword Books (ISBN 9781399045179).