Isle of Wight rail work falls further behind after flooding

South Western Railway said water was 18 inches (46cm) above the track at Ryde St John's Road railway station

Work to upgrade the worn-out Isle of Wight railway line has been further delayed due to flash flooding damage.

Island Line closed on 4 January to introduce a new fleet of refurbished London Underground trains, and improve the tracks and platforms.

The £26m overhaul had been due to finish in March.

South Western Railway (SWR) said it could not give a specific re-opening date but expected the railway line to remain closed into the autumn.

Buses will continue to replace trains with a minibus running along Ryde Pier for ferry connections.

A train in flood water at Ryde St Johns Road depot

In March SWR said the line closure would last about six weeks longer than planned due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The scheme was further delayed in April after software issues held up the delivery of refurbished trains.

SWR said during the recent flash floods - when more than a month's worth of rain fell in two hours - water was 18 inches (46cm) above the track at Ryde St John's Road, Sandown and Shanklin railway stations.

SWR said flash floods had washed out newly-laid ballast along parts of the track

It said newly laid ballast had been washed away from underneath sleepers and electrical, signalling and points equipment had also been damaged by the water.

In a statement, the operator said: "We had been aiming to reopen the Island Line in the first half of next month, but flash flooding has added uncertainty to our programme.

"We are sorry for the ongoing uncertainty for our customers and the communities we serve, and are working incredibly hard to reopen the Island Line as soon as possible."

Island Line railway operates between Ryde Pier Head and Shanklin, serving Smallbrook Junction, Brading, Sandown and Lake stations. It carries around 1.5 million passengers in a normal year.

Island Line upgrade

• To include new passing loop at Brading to allow trains to run half-hourly to Ryde pier to connect with Portsmouth ferry services

• Existing trains that date from 1938 to be replaced with five refurbished London Underground trains from the District Line

• One of the trains, which has operated since the late 1980s, to be preserved at the Isle of Wight Steam Railway

• Upgrades 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

The previous fleet of trains were built back in 1938 for the London Underground network before starting service on the Isle of Wight in 1989