Frustrated by the lack of connectivity between some ferry and rail services, Isle of Wight MP Bob Seely has asked Wightlink and South Western Railway to coordinate their timetables to improve journeys for passengers.
In a letter to the transport operators, he asked them to coordinate ferry and rail timetables to reduce what he described as the “current points of friction hampering the Island’s connectivity”.
He raised specific issues with the Yarmouth to Lymington ferry and the lack of late-night FastCat sailings between Ryde and Portsmouth Harbour as specific examples of passengers being let down by current services.
Bob said:
“Too many constituents have told of their frustrations at arriving on the mainland to see their connecting train disappearing – that just isn’t acceptable.
“We live in an age where connectivity is expected but, unfortunately, things seem to be moving backwards. Ensuring our ferries – which seem to be reducing in frequency – connect with ongoing train services should be the least travellers, especially regular commuters, can expect.
“The purpose of the letter is to encourage Wightlink and South Western Railway to work together and come up with a timetable that is properly integrated and does not leave passengers with journey times far longer and more difficult than they should be.”
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Bob said better connectivity would complement his work with the Isle of Wight Council to improve local passenger connections including reducing the gap in active transport connectivity across the Island.
He added:
“Clearly, reducing these timetable barriers for rail passengers at Yarmouth and Ryde will play an important role in the Island’s broader goal of encouraging more sustainable journeys across the Island and the Solent, as well as boosting sustainable tourism and active travel journeys in general.
“Connectivity between the Island and the mainland fundamentally affects the services, opportunities, and economies which Islanders can access, and as such directly impacts the Island’s prosperity as a whole. I am asking stakeholders to show flexibility in this regard and coordinate timetables to remove any unnecessary points of friction.”
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We also need our trains to run properly on the island
.last week our 7.30 ferry was cancelled had to get 9pm one back.it makes things very difficult
Just arrived this evening at Portsmouth Harbour 16.20 to see hourly 15 minutes past hour fast cat sailing out of the Harbour ! This is needed, you travel miles no problem then arrive to fraught travel on the boats, not appropriate & about time.
get an earlier train then – the service is designed around actual usage data – you need to arrive earlier -the world doesn’t revolve around you.
You completely missed the point, but why would we expect you to even get it with an attitude like that?
i haven’t missed the point – some trains arrive just before a boat, some arrive just after…not everyone on that train wants the boat – some are going into portsmouth on foot afterwards, not to mention the fact that these trains are structured to avoid other trains on the network and arrive and depart platforms so that trains criss crossing can do so effectively.
but of course the self entitled, world revolves around me, little user of the ferry to the island, doesn’t care about the fact that it is an end of the line stop and that the ferries cannot possibly connect with all the trains arriving – but hey, don’t let facts get in the way of your utopian ideals.
Nonsense. You obviously don’t use the train and ferry. Sure, you can turn up 45 minutes early for a ferry or risk 15 minutes early, when the inevitable delays mean you miss the boat (literally). A both directions journey is like travelling in the rural part of a third world country. And when the Island Line inevitably cuts the service back to 1 train an hour, the service they maintain is the one that arrives at the pier head SEVEN minutes before the ferry sails. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve seen people running for (and just missing) the ferry. Integrated transport? Not a chance!
dave – why don’t you take responsibility for yourself and your travel plans. Allow extra time for set backs and delays – that way you arrive early and do not miss things – it really isn’t difficult is it. Stop expecting others to revolve around you.
We don’t want the world to revolve around us – just for there to be a train and boat correlation – some people have to wait nearly two hours to get a boat – they can’t leave earlier – they have jobs to do, shows to see, meetings …this is such a massive problem. To try to get back for 8.20 pm like some people do (university lectures) rushing across London to get back is so very difficult. Please show a bit more
compassion for their difficulties. WL have reduced crossings and squeezed us all in. Otherwise, foot passengers have to get a car ferry and be stranded in Fishbourne. WL continue to get the revenue but don’t have to provide anything extra –
an additional income for a boat that would already run.
The moon = IW
The planet earth = mainland railways
The sun = The rest of the UK
It is nothing more then Bob implying that the tail should wag the dog,
and not vice versa.
Why can’t the Island transport systems implement the mainlands time table ?
Some of us can see straight through you BS bob,
Nothing but cheap sound bites and just going through the motions for next photo opportunity and the next band waggon to jump onto.
IMO You are not fit enough to lick Andrew Turners boots.
A fixed rail link will fix that. And why are you defending that religious bigot Andrew Turner who got 100k from the government for a new kitchen buy saying he did not permanently live on the island. An island MP saying he’s main residence was not in his constituency, what a con artist.
what kind of drivel is this….one ferry arrives in pompey at about 7 minutes past the hour, yet there are five platforms of trains departing at all different times, to various destinations around the country…you cannot line up one hourly boat with countless arrivals and departures across five train platforms
on the island…the train arrives at 41 mins past the hour at the pier head for a departure at 45 mins past…where is the problem.
Exactly – You can’t line one ferry up with 5 platform’s worth of trains.
Which is why there should be more than one ferry per hour.
If that isn’t profitable then that merely highlights the need for public service obligations and a subsidy to ensure an acceptable minimum level of service.
Yes, we choose to live on an island, but that doesn’t mean we should have to put up with a third class service.
No mark, the service levels wighltink operate are based on actual usage data and as they have environmental considerations now, they are required to demonstrate that they are not running unnecessary services which create unnecessary exhaust emissions.
subsidies have to be paid for, either by cuts to other funding plans, or higher taxes – and may I remind you, that it will be the islanders who pay a ferry levy for any public service obligation – there is no free lunch.
the service is perfectly adequate – you can read a timetable, buy a ticket and arrive in plenty of time.
I think the problem is the other way… trains arriving from Waterloo just missing a connectionto the fast cat.
There may be 5 platforms at Portsmouth but only 4 have track ,platform 2 has no track and hasn’t for years you should get out more
There’s aren’t enough fast cat type services. One an hour is not enough. Sadly the only thing Wightlink would respond to is a competitor on that route.
Bob .. you going down another rabbit hole .. First Wightlink and Red Funnel need to sustain a reliable service then have their timetables synchronise with the mainland infrastructure.. better still a fixed link ( bridge or tunnel ) would be more reliable.. but the nimby’s cannot see the benefits like other uk offshore residents have done .. give people the choice A fixed link or take an overpriced and unreliable ferry .. you choose not the ferry service providers ..
I don’t often congratulate Bob but finally someone is speaking out about this. The connections between the shanklin line to Portsmouth are just dreadful recently.
Hovercraft won’t sync with the train and wight link and island line also won’t wait for each other. Though I have found wightlink is now trying to wait for the Waterloo train but then the island line won’t wait for the boat.
I’ve found some of the island line employees have terrible morale with comments like “I don’t care, not my problem, I’m off home now” when faced with disabled or elderly passengers stranded.
Something is going on between the 4 companies – SWT, IL Hover and Wightlink so getting them around a table would be great. Hover for instance refuses to change…
what drivel – train arrives at the esplanade at 39 mins and 2 mins past each hour. Hovertravel departs at 45 and 15 past each hour in commuter times and at 15 past each hour at other times. Fastcat leaves at 45 past the hour.
if you arrive at 2 mins past the hour at ryde esplanade and walk to hovertravel, you will, at most have a ten minute wait, or if you arrive at the esplanade at 39 mins past at commuter times, you will be over the footbridge and on the departing 45 mins past the hour hover.
stop making things out to be worse than they are
I expect that bobs mate is using this route for his photoshoot,bob wants everything to be perfect for us tax payers
Also need the Yarmouth ferry and trains to and from Lymington pier to co-ordinate.
The ferry often gets in 5 minutes after the train leaves and you have a 55 minute wait for the next one.
On the return journey you the train gets to Lymington Pier just as you see the ferry leaving.
Not long ago I contacted both Wightlink and the train company to ask if they could just adjust their times by a few minutes and “no they couldn’t”. I cannot see why the ferry could not move their times by five minutes.
Many years ago, the Ryde ferry and the the trains at Portsmouth would wait for people.
yes and they intentionally delayed all those already on the boat or train, who were there on time and expected an on time departure. Then they intentionally delayed everyone waiting at every stop all the way to london because of a late ferry – not acceptable.
About time he finally did something. Mind, he never does anything else. That letter has cost the taxpayer a fortune!
The historic problem was that the mainland railways would often ask the ferry to wait for a late London train, Island Line would then oblige by waiting at the Pier Head, inevitably delaying the trains return from Shanklin to Ryde, the catamaran would also wait but the London trains from Portsmouth that caused the problem in the first place never would.
That’s why it was never advertised as a connecting service, despite the best efforts of the ferry and Island Line staff to make it as close as possible to one, as it would have imposed an obligation on the mainland trains.
That isn’t relevant to the current frequency of the service but it’s too easy to blame the ferry for missed connections that aren’t their responsibility.
If there was a tunnel there would be little to no connection issues… Imagine getting on Train at Shanklin, and alighting at Waterloo… or further.. same when returning.. all the way onto the Island. No waiting for an hour or more for a ferry, then to find no service this end.. It would be called PROGRESS Bob !!!
He’ll be lucky….they don’t like change and won’t change anything. They can’t even run boats half hourly at peak times. Hopeless.
Judging by all the comments I think we can all agree the service to and from the island by whatever method, if it ever ran on time or to timetable is below what anyone would reasonably expect, there is absolutlely no point tinkering at one end or with one company.There is ample evidence based on just the last six months of maintenance issues, staffing or just even the weather and other non specified matters allegedly outside the control of the operating companies to have someone take an overall look at what can be provided transport wise, there is no point changing the timetables of either trains or boats as they change every six months and will rarely be run to everyones personal timetable
Multimodal transport connectivity is never going to be easy and it’s a problem that’s bound to exist living on an island with multiple connections. I do know that a recent 10hr journey from Wales only fell over at the last hurdle withf a tree down on the line coming into Southsea. Not only did the fastcat wait for TWO trains to come in, but Red Funnel staff were also there to help get people on the Wightlink cat because RF service had ceased due to weather disruption so good cooperation. Anyone who had missed this cat would have been on the very last 8.20 service of the evening, which IS unacceptable. For their CE to advocate going round to the car ferry when their car is in Ryde and not Fishbourne however, is contentious.
Connectivity will not exist while the government has a regulated train service, but southern vectis, wightlink, red funnel and hover travel aren’t regulated. This shows how inept Bob Seely is, either that or just completely thick
This is what the IWBRUG have been calling for for ages.
A fixed link to the mainland is the only solution. Levelling up and opportunity for all, professional people will come to the island, Doctors teachers etc.