Neither should it be overstated : the fact is that connections are normally made, just as they were with the previous train service. And the reasons for the long-term decline in the usage of the Portsmouth-Ryde route go much wider than perceived unreliability.
Yes, the timetable has actually worsened since February, in that when there are gaps in the hourly Wightlink catamaran service - one in mid-morning and one in the afternoon- the relevant train does not now go up the pier, terminating at Esplanade, leaving 2 hour gaps at Pierhead. There is some logic to this, in that the only point of Pierhead station is as an interchange with the ferry, but it does assume that things will run smoothly. As discussed upthread, people are going to be stranded for long periods if the catamaran is late.
www.southwesternrailway.com
In the December 2019 timetable there were two trains an hour Shanklin to Ryde Pier Head 0618 (0818 Sundays with one earlier train at 0718) to 2018 inclusive seven days a week with the last two services at 2118 and 2238. The timetable with two trains an hour each way on the full route between Ryde Pier Head and Shanklin was achieved with the trains passing each other alternately at Ryde St Johns and Sandown at 30 minute intervals. The 20 minute and 40 minute intervals between successive train calls at each station were fine. It is clear from the new timetable at
which is one train per hour on the entire line Sundays and one train an hour at Ryde Pier Head Monday to Saturday with two hour gaps at Ryde Pier Head 1040 to 1240 and 1340 to 1540 Monday to FridayTrain Timetable | South Western Railway
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that it is not possible to have a workable timetable of two trains an hour each way on the full route between Ryde Pier Head and Shanklin with the trains passing each other at Brading. They should restore the December 2019 timetable.
The point of the Brading Loop was to enable the Island Line trains to run at 30 minute intervals but the new timetable shows it was never going to work. There were warnings that it would not work as Brading Station is too close to Shanklin, it is not at the halfway point between Ryde Pier Head and Shanklin for the timetable. The parts of the new timetable that run two trains an hour show them passing at Brading with 33 minutes and 27 minute intervals with alternate trains turning around at Ryde Esplanade or Ryde St Johns Road. Unless something can be done to reduce the time taken for the trains to travel between Ryde Pier Head and Brading by at least two minutes the only way to get two trains an hour on the full route between Ryde Pier Head and Shanklin is to restore the December 2019 timetable.
Welcome to our world! Unfortunately since its management sell-out, Wightlink have been owned by a series of financial outfits (including Macquarie, the notorious vampire kangaroo) whose priorities have been maximising the financial return via price increases and service reductions. It seems obvious that such a lifeline service should be subject to a public service obligation with appropriate subsidy if necessary, as with for example the Scottish islands served by Calmac and Northlink. But the idea has got nowhere with government. If only we were a marginal seat!
I just wish to point out that when the line was first electrified, with the first lot of tube trains, it ran every 12 minutes, 5 trains per hour each way, all day long. With 7-car trains.
I was trying to work out if a 00/20/40 timetable could work ?. If two trains can be 20 minutes apart in the old timetable it occurs to me the OLD passing places must be suitable for an extra train 20 minutes before/after the 20/40 pair. Obviously this adds cost But this would make the service more attractive so demand might fill that 50% increase in service.
Blimay - was there more double track or more passing places in those days ?.
I think that was the summer Saturday service. On winter weekdays it was hourly with morning and evening peak extras.
Reading elsewhere that this has indeed happened this week.
Haven't looked at that, but an exact half hourly service won't work now. The passing place (Brading) is in the wrong place. For a half hourly service to work properly the 'loop', or should I say the place trains need to cross, is between Brading and Smallbrook Jn (Rowborough Bridge area) which ironically was built, at least overbridge wise, in the 19th century for double track. But as double track was never laid, the associated works, drainage etc, would have probably cost far more today than just reinstating the double track through Brading platforms.
PS: with apologies to Weeklycommuter, who already mentioned this. Only did a very brief scan of previous posts before putting my halfpenny worth in.....
