Island Line services will once again travel up and down the historic Ryde Pier from the start of May, but the entire line will be closed between Ryde and Shanklin for a period of 6 days beforehand – and there is more works to come later in 2025.
It has been confirmed that after almost 8 months, trains will run between Ryde Pier Head and Ryde Esplanade from Friday 2nd May – in time for the Early May Bank Holiday. This is 4 days earlier than originally planned.
Since September last year, Network Rail has been working to repair and preserve the pier structure, making it more resilient to extreme weather. It follows work extensive works between 2022 and 2023.
Although the reopening of the pier railway is welcome news, it has been confirmed that the entire Island Line will have to be closed from Saturday 26th April for a period of 6 days.
It’s said that engineers need time to complete final preparations for the resumption of services to Ryde Pier Head. This includes removing temporary buffer stops at the pier, undertaking signalling testing and completing driver training.
In addition to the works at Ryde, it has been announced that additional funding from the Department for Transport means an ‘under track crossing’ is being built at Brading to enable cabling to be transferred from one side of the tracks to the other.
And it doesn’t end there… it has also been announced this week that there will be further disruption to Island Line later in 2025 when rails are replaced between Ryde Esplanade and Ryde St John’s. The footbridge at Ryde St John’s will also be replaced. Last December, Island Echo was told that there may be further works required at Ryde Pier in the future too.
George Murrell, Network Rail Wessex route renewals director, has said:
“I’m delighted that we’re going to be able to fully reopen the Island Line early and in time for the May Bank Holiday, which we know is a busy and important time for the Island’s tourism industry.
“We’re now on the home stretch of this work and while I know it will be disappointing, we will need to close the line for the week preceding the resumption of services to finish the final pieces of work, safety checks and prepare the railway for the first service early on Friday 2 May.
“I’d like to again thank passengers, residents and businesses on the Island Line for their patience and understanding while we’ve undertaken this programme of critical repairs and upgrades.
“We look forward to the resumption of services on 2 May.”
Mark Dunn, Island Line general manager, adds:
“Fully reopening Island Line on Friday 2 May, ahead of schedule and in time for the early May bank holiday, is fantastic news for customers and the Isle of Wight, particularly as we enter the busy tourism season.
“The early reopening is due to the brilliant efforts of SWR and Network Rail colleagues, who have worked extremely hard since last September to make necessary repairs to Ryde Pier.
“These repairs allow us to resume services from Ryde Pier Head station all the way through to Shanklin and will preserve the historic pier for many years to come.
“We’re extremely grateful to our customers and Islanders for their patience while these important works were completed and look forward to welcoming them back for the full service soon.”
Between 26th April and 2nd May, replacement bus services will operate between the towns of Ryde and Shanklin.
The first train to run again will be the 05:23 from Ryde St John’s, arriving at Ryde Pier Head at 05:29. The first train from Ryde Pier Head to Shanklin will depart at 06:03.
About time, why does everything take so long on
the island.