SAVE THE DATE: Improvements on the Isle of Wight necessitate Island Line closures in October and November

Tuesday 19 Aug 2025

SAVE THE DATE: Improvements on the Isle of Wight necessitate Island Line closures in October and November

Region & Route:: Southern: Wessex; | Southern

From Saturday 18 October until Monday 17 November, vital improvements work will fully then partially close the Island Line on the Isle of Wight.

The whole Island Line will be closed from Saturday 18 October to Monday 3 November. From Monday 3 to Monday 17 November, trains will only run between Ryde St Johns Road and Shanklin, while additional upgrades are carried out in the Ryde area.

During the closures, engineers will complete the following works:

Replacing the switches and crossings at Ryde Esplanade, which allow the trains to change track
Replacing rail through Ryde Tunnel between Ryde Esplanade and Ryde St Johns Road
Refurbishing Ryde St Johns Footbridge
Improving the fencing on Rink Road, Ryde to make the railway safer
Tamping (lifting the track and consolidating and aligning the ballast beneath) along the whole line to ensure a smoother ride for customers
Vegetation management to reduce the risk of trees falling onto the line and of leaf fall impacting services
Detailed track inspection to check for areas that need repairs and improvement

Replacement buses will be in operation throughout this time, allowing customers to continue to travel across the island.

Speaking on behalf of Network Rail and South Western Railway, George Murrell, Wessex Route Renewals Director, said: “We know how important the Island Line is to the local economy, particularly during the busy summer season. We have chosen to carry out these works in the autumn to minimise their impact as much as possible.

“By having these closures, we can carry out these extensive improvements, allowing the Island Line thrive for years to come.

“During the closures, we advise customers to check before travelling and allow extra time for their journeys, as rail replacement buses will be in operation. We are sorry for the disruption.”

Notes to Editors

Earlier this year, Ryde Pier reopened after an eight-month closure to repair and preserve its historic structure, making it more resilient to extreme weather, ensuring that services can continue to run safely and reliably for generations to come. Repairs to the pier are ongoing but are not impacting train services.

During the previous closure, engineers built a new under-track crossing at Brading to safely allow essential cabling to be transferred from one side of the railway to the other. This was brought forward thanks to additional funding from the Department for Transport.

During a whole line closure in September 2024, engineers completed a wide range of important maintenance work which included:

Laying 110m of new track through Ryde Esplanade station with composite sleepers which are more resilient to the coastal conditions and will last for at least 60 years
Installing new rail bearers over 65m from the end of Ryde Esplanade toward Ryde Pier Head and amending signalling (the railways traffic lights) to enable train services to resume running between Ryde Esplanade and Shanklin
Realigning the track through Ryde Esplanade station to reduce the gap between the train and platform, and renewing part of the track at Smallbrook Junction
Replacing the bridge decks at both Park and Rink Road bridges, and bridge repairs in Sandown
Renovations to the historic footbridge at Brading.

Contact information

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Journalists
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Thomas.Moore@networkrail.co.uk

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