Island Line will be running to an hourly timetable over the coming days, with no trains running at all on Monday (8th April), due to continued industrial action by ASLEF. South Western Railway has confirmed that on Thursday (4th April), Friday (5th April) and Saturday (6th April), Island Line will operate an hourly timetable between Ryde Pier Head and Shanklin due to a ban on overtime working for members of the ASLEF union. On Monday (8th April), no trains will be running at all as drivers take strike action, with an hourly timetable coming back into force on Tuesday (9th April). A normal service is due to resume on Wednesday, all being well. This latest disruption comes following a turbulent time for Island Line, which has been hit by continued strike action, mechanical breakdowns, staff shortages and line closures since a £24million investment in the railway. Steve Tyler, South Western Railway’s Performance and Planning Director, has said:
“Industrial action by the ASLEF union will mean only a significantly reduced service will run on Monday 8 April, so we are asking our customers to only travel if their journeys are absolutely necessary. For essential journeys, customers should check journey planners before setting off. “The overtime ban on Thursday 4, Friday 5, Saturday 6 and Tuesday 9 April will mean that timetables will be revised. We are asking our customers to check before they travel, right up until they set off, as alterations on the day are possible. “We are very sorry for the disruption that this industrial action will cause our customers and are very thankful for their continued patience”.
Surely soon, even the most greenest of green will see what a farce it is to have three inches of railway on the Island, when the track could be tar mac’d over and battery shuttle buses, driven by PSO licence holders, of which there are many could run such more efficiently more regularly and more cheaply than paying overpaid drivers and a huge amount of maintenance staff to keep the fences and high voltage track for the entire length safe from idiots claiming compo if their sub normal children climb through etc.
What a relief road it would make from Shanklin to Ryde too.
Just make it one big shared bus/cycle lane
Cyclists don’t use the cycle lanes on the island.
The new cycle lane along Ryde Esplanade was a waste of money and
no cyclist uses the cycle lane near the Racecourse Roundabout along
the fairlee Road.
Cyclists like cycling down the wrong side of the road, or cycling in
large groups holding each others hands, stopping motorists from passing.
So not a good idea, we need trams like the ones in Blackpool.
A year ago this idea would have horrified me. But enough is enough. These strikes are effectively permanent. Tarmac the lot over and use it as a fast bus/coach lane. Same goes for HS2, what is left of it.
One train can take 6 tram or bus loads of passengers .
When the roads become even more gridlocked than they are now ( tried getting around the Shanklin / Lake / Sandown area lately ? ) people will look to use alternative transport other than the car. If you have trams or buses and more people start using them you will need more trams, more drivers more maintenance and very soon it becomes expensive. With a train you just add a couple more carriages , no more staff required, just the guard and driver you need now .
If you removed rails and tarmac it over you open it up to abuse from car owner who will look to use it, totally defeating the reason for having public transport.
You are right one train could take those numbers, but when have you ever seen a full train on the island other than at the heritage railway open days, second a lot of the island trains are short formed and not as advertised. you most certainly do not need a guard on electronically opening doors.
When have you ever seen a full bus on the island?
The big differences is a train won’t hold you up in your car and cause more gridlock than there already is on our ever increasingly busy roads.
And a guard is not just for opening doors, this is a common mistake made by people who have never done the job.
whats a pso licence
zzzz…we need to remember its not always the staffs fault,,, they do carry alot of the blame when its the actual companys issues
Apologise for the inconvenience….
As bad if not worse than Red Funnel…
We don’t want apologies we want a reliable service….
From now on I will use the bus / or car ….
If everyone did this see how long the job’s would last !!!!! No customers no work ….
Go on strike sympathy has run out !!!!! ……
If everyone did this then welcome to gridlock on the roads.
But not everyone drives !
Buses …….
How many times has a half empty bus held you up in your car and got in the way compared to an islandline train?
Will anyone notice? This service is out of action so often. It used to be so reliable
It’s a bit like the Floating Bridge, it hardly ever runs.
Not a problem, I will have to drive to work.
I will have to park my car on the double yellow lines outside
Sandown Pier, or on the pavement opposite Sandown Pier
At least that is a freebie, beats paying to park in a carpark up
the road, or on a meter.
Who can afford the Councils extortionate parking charges.
Beautiful, it is not often you get something for nothing on
this Island.
Cheers Cllr Phil Jordan
Grab any perk you can get your hands on.
I see many vehicles pull up in Car Parks and parking
along seafronts, they get out a Blue Badge and walk for miles with their
Dogs.
Everyone loves something for nothing, who checks Blue Badges
Civil Enforcement Officers couldn’t run a bath, yet alone check a
Blue badge.
Train drivers must be the greediest and the laziest workers in the whole of Britain.
If they don’t like the wages leave it won’t be difficult to fill there jobs. Not rocket science driving a train up and down a railway line.
You have absolutely no clue about the role do you. Lol. Uneducated and clearly a sheep for believing everything you read. You’ve made my day. Keep up the good work my friend.
That is the most crass, ignorant and stupid comment I’ve seen in this thread Bob. Train driving is a highly responsible job and you are only ever one passing a signal at danger away from going to prison for a safety breach. not like car drivers who can kill and get away with it. Please get real on this.
so why dont you do it then!!!! seeing as you know all about it …NOT!
Strikes are such a common occurrence everyone is losing sympathy and will just find alternative forms of travel, overall they will just lose customers and money.
Where’s Bob in all this? Defender of the people. Oh no. It’s a contentious issue. I’m sure he doesn’t want to take sides now and risk upsetting voters. Not with an election coming up.
Must be Barbeque season, probably in Seaview
back under his rock no doubt
What £65 grand a year not enought to go 12 miles only go forward and back no turning left or right..its not hard..
they DO NOT get 65k !!! they never have or are actually ever likely to get…!!! do your research….
What a terrible job they have, they have to sit on their ar$e for most of the day, driving along the treacherous tracks of the isle of wight for 10 miles or so, and then they have the massive disappointment of only getting paid 65k a year.
Most people work 10x harder and for less than half of that money.
Greedy………….
islandline DO NOT get 65k…do your research