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Wednesday 7 May 2025

Isle of Wight railway history celebrated after full Island Line services resume

Region & Route:

Southern: Wessex

| Southern

On Friday, 2 May, Network Rail, South Western Railway and partners from across the industry came together to celebrate the rich history of the railway on the Isle of Wight.

The day was marked by the reopening of the line between Ryde Esplanade and Ryde Pier Head, which had been closed for the past eight months for extensive works to extend the pier’s life for another 60 years.

The celebration was not just about reopening early in time for the Bank Holiday weekend, but also about the innovative recycling efforts undertaken during the works. The rail infrastructure removed from the pier and across the line has been repurposed by the Isle of Wight Steam Railway, which is re-using the materials on their line between Smallbrook Junction and Wootton.

To commemorate this collaboration, the Steam Railway organised a special train ride for rail industry colleagues. The exclusive journey showcased the recycled parts already in place and included a tour of their base of operations at Havenstreet. The tour featured a museum that beautifully narrates the history of the railway on the Isle of Wight.

George Murrell, Wessex route renewals director, said: “We are thrilled to work with the Isle of Wight Steam Railway and support their operations by upcycling parts of our railway infrastructure. As we celebrate 200 years of the modern railway, it is only fitting that we honour railway history on the Isle of Wight. They do an incredible job in preserving railway history and we look forward to continuing our partnership for years to come.”

The Steam Railway’s line has a storied past, originally opening 150 years ago in 1875, just 50 years after the first railway between Stockton and Darlington. Passenger services ran between Ryde, Newport and Cowes for 91 years before it closed in 1966. The line between Ryde and Shanklin, now known as the Island Line, was temporarily closed for electrification works, with the last steam service running on 31 December 1966.

In 1966, a group of rail enthusiasts formed the Wight Locomotive Society. They raised funds to preserve one of the last steam locomotives and purchased one and a half miles of track between Wootton and Havenstreet. Since then, the line has been extended towards Ryde, reaching Smallbrook Junction in 1991, where passengers can now transfer from the Island Line to the Steam Railway. The beautifully preserved railway has won a string of awards and is a popular attraction for visitors to the island.

Tim Spencer-Peet, Deputy general manager of the Isle of Wight Steam Railway said: “We were thankfully able to extend to Smallbrook Junction in 1991, starting a long relationship with Network Rail and South Western Railway. The relationship we have has developed over that period of time. As the world changes we’ve worked together in collaborative ways to make sure that we serve each other’s best interests, which includes such things as generous track donations which helps with our cash flow situation and we’d like to continue to grow that partnership.”

With Island Line now fully running between Ryde Pier Head and Shanklin, there are further ambitions to improve transportation on the island for the benefit of passengers. South Western Railway implemented a 40 minute timetable, which allows for flexibility to hold the service at Ryde Pier Head to wait for passengers arriving by ferry, while still being able to depart Shanklin on time for its return journey.

This continued integration of the Isle of Wight’s transportation is an ambition for the future with the railway working closely with the ferries, hovercraft as well as local bus services to help bring businesses and communities on the island closer together.

Mark Dunn, Island Line general manager, said: “We have an obligation to provide a passenger service to all of our customers including the 140,000 residents who live on the island and the hundreds of thousands of tourists who come here as it’s such a beautiful place. It’s such a lovely experience that we want to share it with people and we want people to benefit from it. With that in mind, we want to provide an integrated transport system on the island, which includes rail, bus, ferries, hovercraft, steam railway; everybody. The railway joins businesses and communities together and, on the island, the fact we can travel from Shanklin down to the pier head in 20 minutes. If you try to do it by other means it will take around an hour. It makes the island that little bit smaller but brings the communities that little bit closer.”

2025 marks the 200th anniversary of the modern railway, inspired by the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway in 1825, a journey that changed the world forever.

Under the banner of Railway 200, nationwide celebrations are planned throughout the year, showcasing how the railway shaped Britain and the world and how its pioneering pedigree continues today and is shaping tomorrow.

Railway 200 encourages everyone to join in this once-in-a-generation opportunity, whether that’s by displaying the Railway 200 logo, organising events and activities, running competitions, or sharing rail stories.