First Solent discussion (Portsmouth, Fareham and Gosport)

[Man of Kent]

Hi all,

In the latest notices and proceedings…


Any ideas?
Island Line isn’t due to be shut any time soon (except planned work on the pier, which will close it for a number of months, but a half hourly train service is still running…)

Shuts on 6 September for a month, according to the SWR website

Island Line and Ryde Pier set to close for vital maintenance

www.southwesternrailway.com

• The Island Line will close from Ryde Pier Head to Shanklin between Friday 6 September and Sunday 6 October for vital maintenance
• Ryde Pier will close from Friday 6 September 2024 until May 2025 while life extension work continues
• One train every 30 minutes will operate between Ryde Esplanade and Shanklin from Monday 7 October to early May 2025
• Rail replacement bus services will operate during both closures

MAJOR engineering works will take place on the Island Line and Ryde Pier starting in September.
From Friday 6 September to Sunday 6 October, the Island Line will be closed in its entirety from Ryde Pier Head to Shanklin while Network Rail and South West Railway engineers complete a large programme of vital maintenance.
The programme includes track and bridge renewals between Ryde St Johns Road and Ryde Pier Head, renovations to a historic footbridge at Brading, signalling works at Ryde and bridge repairs in Sandown.
Rail replacement bus services will operate between Ryde Pier Head and Shanklin throughout the closure.
Engineers will also continue work to repair and preserve the historic Ryde Pier structure, which began in October 2022. The pier will close to trains on Friday 6 September 2024 and is expected to reopen in early May 2025, in time for the summer holiday season.
In order to maintain connections with ferry services, a minibus shuttle service will operate between Ryde Pier Head and Ryde Esplanade throughout the closure, while train services will operate every 30 minutes between Ryde Esplanade and Shanklin.

 

[Simon75]

Shuts on 6 September for a month, according to the SWR website

Island Line and Ryde Pier set to close for vital maintenance

www.southwesternrailway.com

• The Island Line will close from Ryde Pier Head to Shanklin between Friday 6 September and Sunday 6 October for vital maintenance
• Ryde Pier will close from Friday 6 September 2024 until May 2025 while life extension work continues
• One train every 30 minutes will operate between Ryde Esplanade and Shanklin from Monday 7 October to early May 2025
• Rail replacement bus services will operate during both closures

MAJOR engineering works will take place on the Island Line and Ryde Pier starting in September.
From Friday 6 September to Sunday 6 October, the Island Line will be closed in its entirety from Ryde Pier Head to Shanklin while Network Rail and South West Railway engineers complete a large programme of vital maintenance.
The programme includes track and bridge renewals between Ryde St Johns Road and Ryde Pier Head, renovations to a historic footbridge at Brading, signalling works at Ryde and bridge repairs in Sandown.
Rail replacement bus services will operate between Ryde Pier Head and Shanklin throughout the closure.
Engineers will also continue work to repair and preserve the historic Ryde Pier structure, which began in October 2022. The pier will close to trains on Friday 6 September 2024 and is expected to reopen in early May 2025, in time for the summer holiday season.
In order to maintain connections with ferry services, a minibus shuttle service will operate between Ryde Pier Head and Ryde Esplanade throughout the closure, while train services will operate every 30 minutes between Ryde Esplanade and Shanklin.

How come First Solent are running, rather than Southern Vectis.
Surely the extra cost in drivers and buses from mainland, would make the contract cost more ?

 

[Jamesbus80]

Thank you very much - one would potentially imagine it is for that month long closure. I seem to remember First’s ‘base’ or outstation was at Amazon World last time in 2021.

 

[WibbleWobble]

There's a bridge removal/replacement at Sandown, which will also have severe effects on the town' bus services.

A main road in and out of Sandown is to be closed for more than 8 weeks from the start of September to allow Network Rail to remove 1 of 2 railway bridges that span across the carriageway.
It has been confirmed that Avenue Road will be closed in both directions between Tamar Close and Perowne Way – underneath the railway bridge – between 2nd September and 31st October to enable works to the railway infrastructure.
Network Rail is working to remove the disused bridge over Avenue Road, as well as renewing the in-use bridge that carries the Island Line tracks. Scaffolding is to be erected around the structure to enable it to be repainted, resulting in a complete road closure.
This closure means traffic heading in and out of the seaside town of Sandown to/from Ryde and Brading will have to divert via Yaverland. Heavy goods vehicles that are unable to use Yaverland will have to divert via Arreton.
Furthermore, between 23:00 on Friday 27th September and 05:00 on Monday 30th September, Morton Road and Perowne Way will also be closed to enable a crane to move in to remove the disused bridge.
Access under the bridge will be maintained for pedestrians during the bulk of the work, save for when the bridge is being lifted out of place.
Network Rail is also altering the electric rail that powers the trains around Sandown Station.

 

[hermit]

There's a bridge removal/replacement at Sandown, which will also have severe effects on the town' bus services.

Not a replacement - the operation is to remove the span which has been redundant since the line was singled. The span which carries the existing track will remain, though I imagine the opportunity will be taken to spruce it up.

The bus diversions should not be very severe, at least for the principal routes 2 and 3. The routing via Yaverland is something that happens routinely after wet weather when the River Yar floods the road just north of the bridge. It was in operation for days at a time during the wet spring this year.

 

[WibbleWobble]

Not a replacement - the operation is to remove the span which has been redundant since the line was singled. The span which carries the existing track will remain, though I imagine the opportunity will be taken to spruce it up.

That's a poor use of wording by the journalist then, using "renew" instead of "refurbish". Then again, I'd rather it be replacement given the deck looks like it is made of wood!

 

[Towers]

How come First Solent are running, rather than Southern Vectis.
Surely the extra cost in drivers and buses from mainland, would make the contract cost more ?

Fellow First companies? Also, Go South Coast overall aren’t flush with spare buses currently, having absorbed Yellow Buses & taken over First’s Southampton empire. Things have eased since they were dragging in all sorts of stuff in the early months, but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if a sizeable daily rail replacement operation was out of their scope currently.

That said, it could be either, both or none of those things!