Isle of Wight rail line shuts for three months
- Published
The Isle of Wight railway line is out of action for three months for a major £26m overhaul.
The Island Line has closed for track and platform upgrades from Shanklin to Ryde Pier Head.
Its existing trains, which date from 1938, will also be replaced with five refurbished former Tube trains from the London Underground's District Line.
Buses will run between Shanklin and Ryde Esplanade - a minibus will operate along Ryde Pier for ferry connections.
The track upgrade will include a new passing loop at Brading to allow trains to run half-hourly to Ryde pier to connect with Portsmouth ferry services.
The railway uses London Underground trains because of the height of Ryde tunnel.
The new trains, which formerly ran on London's District Line, incorporate 40-year-old body shells but have been refitted with new parts. They are expected to run on the line from May.
The existing trains, built for the Tube system in 1938, have run on the route between Ryde and Shanklin since the late 1980s.
One of the trains is going to be preserved at the Isle of Wight Steam Railway.
The upgrades are being paid for by the Department for Transport, with £1m for the passing loop coming jointly from Isle of Wight Council and Solent Local Enterprise Partnership.
Related topics
- Published20 November 2020
- Published12 November 2019
- Published16 September 2019
- Published5 February 2016