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Monday 17 Mar 2025

Island Line to fully reopen EARLY on 2 May following completion of Ryde Pier repairs

Region & Route:

Southern: Wessex

| Southern

Island Line will fully reopen between Ryde Pier Head and Shanklin on Friday 2 May, in time for the Early May Bank Holiday weekend, following an intensive and complex programme of work to repair and refurbish Ryde Pier.

The line between Ryde Esplanade and Ryde Pier Head has been closed since 6 September 2024 while Network Rail and South Western Railway (SWR) engineers have worked tirelessly to repair and preserve the historic Ryde Pier structure.

Upgrades will make the pier and railway line more resilient to extreme weather, ensuring that services can continue to run safely and reliably for generations to come.

Prior to the full reopening on Friday 2 May, the entire line from Shanklin to Ryde Pier Head will close from Saturday 26 April to allow engineers to complete final preparations for the resumption of services. During these six days, replacement buses will operate instead of trains.

The works will include:

• Building a new under track crossing at Brading to safely allow essential cabling to be transferred from one side of the railway to the other, which has been brought forward thanks to additional funding from the Department for Transport
• Removing all materials and the temporary buffer stops currently on Ryde Pier
• Undertaking signalling testing to ensure the railway can operate safely and reliably
• Completing train driver training to refresh knowledge ahead of the line opening

Following this work, the line will reopen at the start of service on Friday 2 May, four days earlier than originally planned.

The first service will depart Ryde St Johns at 05:23 and arrive at Ryde Pier Head at 05:29. The first train from Ryde Pier Head to Shanklin will depart at 06:03.

Engineers will return to the line later this year to complete additional upgrades, replacing the rail between Ryde Esplanade and Ryde St Johns Road as well as the footbridge at Ryde St Johns Road. Further details about these upgrades will be announced in due course.

George Murrell, Network Rail Wessex route renewals director, 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, said: “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.”