Island Line services have been unexpectedly suspended this morning (Sunday) due to a fault with the only operational train.
Passengers were already facing significant disruption with 1 of just 2 trains out of action, leading to a reduced timetable – an almost permanent timetable now a days.
South Western Railway have just announced that owing to a fault with the only train running on the network, the line has been closed.
It is currently unknown where the train has broken down.
No trains are currently operating between Ryde and Shanklin with no estimated time on when services will resume.
UPDATE MONDAY – Island Line remains suspended this morning due to the continuing fault with the last operational train.
Disruption is expected to continue for the rest of today.
UPDATE MONDAY @ 16:05 – Island Line trains are now operating once again, but to a reduced timetable.
That’s good perhaps I can have a bonfire with out interference lol
Wonder if the continual ‘unexpected stoppages’ and reduction in service has anything to do with the fact that they are not collecting fares due to covid, and so Island Line is facing huge losses as few people are paying to use the service right now?
Absolutely nothing, they’re still paying the staff and the government is covering rail company losses – in reality this has been an issue for over a year when they went from three operational trains to two, with no spare.
Or maybe, just maybe, they are literally trains from 1938 and it’s hard to find replacement parts
Have the council got their mucky hands on the train line now? First the floating paper weight, then st mary’s magic roundabout and now the train line is cursed.
No. The 80 year old trains are worn out. Until the new ones arrive this will be the norm.
Well they are at the end of their lives being 80 years old… Tracks had it.. Trains no spares… Its a miracle they are still going…
March 2021 can’t come soon enough..
IF this was India they would have made an interesting docusoap about them.
Such soon likely to arrive en-masse, so maybe in a few years time?
The first of the new trains should have arrived for testing in September – has this been delayed again?
The usual thick coating of cheap, ineffective tar mac from Island roads to cover the entire track, and run modern batter shuttle buses would have been a more forward vision of the future of transport.
Then if a electric bus breaks down, easy to find a replacement, also many could drive such not so easy if a train driver falls ill, and no dangerous high voltage electric lines to securely fence and maintain and kill animals or half witted children either.
Not wide enough, even where there are two tracks. Bridges and tunnel too low for double deckers. Not viable alongside existing bus service. Buses can’t operate up Ryde Pier. Need I go on?
The Fareham to Gosport branch line has been operated by singledeck buses since 2012 and is to be extended.
Of course it could be wide enough for long single decker bendy buses and passing places if only a couple run as do the trains could be made. Even less weight than train so easily carried on rotting Pier.
Need I ‘go on’ or shall I leave such to Bran?
How many buses required to carry nearly one million passengers a year that islandline carry?
2, the same as the trains. How big do you think the trains are?
Hmmm, Nothing seems to work on this island does it?
Only for the minimum hours on most ‘Estates’ to be able to claim tax credits, but not one hour more.
I think Island Line have done a marvellous job keeping these trains running for so long considering all spares have to be specially made for them.
I think the guys and girls at Ryde St. John’s Maintenance have done a fantastic job to keep these old girls going for as long as they have they are 80 years old and how many people can say they’ve managed to keep anything going for 80 years
The trains are old but you have to expect this
One could say that the engineers have been heroic in keeping the old sets going. Well done
Get rid of trains and staff, let Southern vectis run it properly