Island Line Upgrade updates

[Rick1984]

though sitting at the ends of the carriage does make a difference

I was behind the cab when I nearly got bounced out seat a couple years back

 

[L+Y]

It is only out of use from Esplanade to Pier Head: Esplanade to Smallbrook (both exclusive) is double.

I noticed this on a visit to the Island Line last month and wondered- when was the second track along the pier last used by a train?

 

[Chris125]

I noticed this on a visit to the Island Line last month and wondered- when was the second track along the pier last used by a train?

A Flickr caption suggests 2007 was the last shuttle, though that seems surprisingly recent to me - they tried them in the early years of privatisation but they soon petered out.

 

[andyc20050]

Engineering works planned for weekends 03/04 & 10/11 October between Ryde Pier Head and Ryde St Johns.

 

[Gloster]

#153 I have been on the island since 2003 and have never seen a shuttle on the second track, although I don’t go into Ryde every day (or even every week). I can’t remember if the line was rusty then.

 

[Chris125]

After receiving money from the 'restoring your railway' fund, the IW Council are looking for consultants:

Isle of Wight Council (IWC) is seeking to commission a transport consultancy with appropriate skills and experience to develop a Strategic Outline Business Case (SOBC) and supporting work in relation to the reopening of branch rail lines on the Isle of Wight.​

​

A range of disciplines will be required to undertake this commission, including transport planning, transport modelling, engineering, planning, economic assessment, communications and stakeholder engagement. Previous experience of developing SOBC's for rail projects is considered essential.​

​

The SOBC will consider options relating to:​

​

• an extension of the existing Island Line service (Ryde-Shanklin) south of Shanklin to reach Ventnor;​

• integration with, and extension of, the existing Isle of Wight Steam Railway route to provide passenger services through Smallbrook Junction to facilitate a service from Ryde to Newport.​

Engineering works planned for weekends 03/04 & 10/11 October between Ryde Pier Head and Ryde St Johns.

Interesting, not seen any mention of further weekend closures before now?

 

[MotCO]

After receiving money from the 'restoring your railway' fund, the IW Council are looking for consultants:

Isle of Wight Council (IWC) is seeking to commission a transport consultancy with appropriate skills and experience to develop a Strategic Outline Business Case (SOBC) and supporting work in relation to the reopening of branch rail lines on the Isle of Wight.​

​

A range of disciplines will be required to undertake this commission, including transport planning, transport modelling, engineering, planning, economic assessment, communications and stakeholder engagement. Previous experience of developing SOBC's for rail projects is considered essential.​

​

The SOBC will consider options relating to:​

​

• an extension of the existing Island Line service (Ryde-Shanklin) south of Shanklin to reach Ventnor;​

• integration with, and extension of, the existing Isle of Wight Steam Railway route to provide passenger services through Smallbrook Junction to facilitate a service from Ryde to Newport.​

I'll do it for £50k. And the answer is yes to both. Job done.

 

[swt_passenger]

It’s probably a good idea to keep this thread concentrating on the currently approved upgrade, and not the proposed extensions that will almost certainly never stand up to full scrutiny...

 

[MotCO]

Video from 1989. I notice the bridge at St. Johns isn't there. When was current one built?

Having watched the video, I note that the trains were 485 041, 485 044 etc. I thought that if they were class 483, their numbers would start with 483 and not 485, or have I got that wrong?

 

[Fawkes Cat]

Having watched the video, I note that the trains were 485 041, 485 044 etc. I thought that if they were class 483, their numbers would start with 483 and not 485, or have I got that wrong?

The trains in the video are the generation before the 483s.

 

[fgwrich]

A Flickr caption suggests 2007 was the last shuttle, though that seems surprisingly recent to me - they tried them in the early years of privatisation but they soon petered out.

#153 I have been on the island since 2003 and have never seen a shuttle on the second track, although I don’t go into Ryde every day (or even every week). I can’t remember if the line was rusty then.

I too would be surprised if it was as late as 2007 - Looking at these pictures on Flickr would certainly suggest it had been mothballed by 2006.

Tube train on Ryde Pier

The Isle of Wight railways have always relied on second-hand trains. Today the electrified Ryde-Shanklin line is operated by former London Transport tube trains dating from 1938.

www.flickr.com

Ryde Pier Head station

As far as I know, platform 2 at Ryde Pier Head is still technically a functioning platform. However, it is probably several years since a train last called here.

www.flickr.com

Tube train at Ryde Pier Head station

A 1938 ex-London Transport Northern line train, carrying "dinosaur" livery, waits at Ryde Pier Head station on the Isle of Wight.

www.flickr.com

I don't suppose there are any plans to lift / re-instate or at least tidy up this side of the Pier at all?

 

[Chris125]

I too would be surprised if it was as late as 2007 - Looking at these pictures on Flickr would certainly suggest it had been mothballed by 2006.

I thought it was the early 2000s tbh, possibly during one of the early IW Festivals (2002-)? It might say in the recent RydeRail book if anyone has a copy to hand.

I don't suppose there are any plans to lift / re-instate or at least tidy up this side of the Pier at all?

Quite possibly, Network Rail are planning significant investment in the pier for this control period, but no details yet.

 

[Rick1984]

It is strange they went from class 485/486 back to 483?

 

[swt_passenger]

Quite possibly, Network Rail are planning significant investment in the pier for this control period, but no details yet.

If I remember from the original announcements, wasn’t the NR budget for the pier about the same as the rest of the project, ie around £25 million?

 

[Chris125]

If I remember from the original announcements, wasn’t the NR budget for the pier about the same as the rest of the project, ie around £25 million?

Yep, I don't think there's been much done since the superstructure was renewed in the 60s so should be a big job.

 

[CyrusWuff]

It is strange they went from class 485/486 back to 483?

Class 483 was the first available number in the 48x range. The others had been used/reserved as follows:

• 482 - 1992 Tube Stock for the Waterloo & City Line
• 485/486 - Standard Stock for Island Line (originally 4VEC and 3TIS, respectively, latterly 5VEC and 2TIS)
• 487 - 1940 Stock for the Waterloo & City Line
• 488 - Mk 2F coaches for Gatwick Express
• 489 - Driving Trailers and Luggage Vans for Gatwick Express (converted from 2HAP Driving Motor vehicles)

 

[pdeaves]

It is strange they went from class 485/486 back to 483?

487 was used for Waterloo & City stock (pre-transfer to LU)
488 and 489 were Gatwick Express

483 was a convenient close number.


Edit: Pipped to the post! Fortunately this and CyrusWuff's info agree!

 

[Meerkat]

If I remember from the original announcements, wasn’t the NR budget for the pier about the same as the rest of the project, ie around £25 million?

Don’t suppose they will get rid of the rusty mess of scrap that the tramway has become?
and replacing the grotty wall next to the trains in Pier Head would make a world of difference

 

[swt_passenger]

Don’t suppose they will get rid of the rusty mess of scrap that the tramway has become?
and replacing the grotty wall next to the trains in Pier Head would make a world of difference

It seems that there are actually three physically separate piers, and how that affects ownership and maintenance I just don’t know. A few years back the tram pier was used as a temporary walkway while the ‘promenade’ pier was given a new deck. I see from satellite images there’s a reasonable gap between railway and tram piers for most of the length...

 

[cav1975]

Don’t suppose they will get rid of the rusty mess of scrap that the tramway has become?
and replacing the grotty wall next to the trains in Pier Head would make a world of difference

I think that the remains of the tramway pier, like the road/pedestrian pier belong to Wightlink as opposed to the railway pier which belongs to Network Rail.

 

[Chris125]

I think that the remains of the tramway pier, like the road/pedestrian pier belong to Wightlink as opposed to the railway pier which belongs to Network Rail.

Correct. Incidentally the local MP mentioned today that the franchise shenanigans won't affect the "£46m" investment in Island Line by SWR and NR.

 

[Waldgrun]

A couple of quick questions, 1). Is the loop at Sandown being kept?
2). Is the double track from Ryde Esp to Smallbrook being retained?

If this is the case, together with the new loop at Brading, three types of service could be operated, i.e. 20 minute, 30, minute and hourly. Although with only 5 units their doesn't seem much point!

 

[hermit]

#153 I have been on the island since 2003 and have never seen a shuttle on the second track, although I don’t go into Ryde every day (or even every week). I can’t remember if the line was rusty then.

I‘ve been regularly visiting, and then living on, the island since 1993, and I’ve never seen it used. I recall that in the early days of the Stagecoach franchise the local manager talked of running a shuttle for busy periods such as summer weekends or the Festival, but I‘m pretty sure it never happened. It would have required opening up the disused down platform at Esplanade and the long-closed subway leading from it.

 

[Dunfanaghy Rd]

I‘ve been regularly visiting, and then living on, the island since 1993, and I’ve never seen it used. I recall that in the early days of the Stagecoach franchise the local manager talked of running a shuttle for busy periods such as summer weekends or the Festival, but I‘m pretty sure it never happened. It would have required opening up the disused down platform at Esplanade and the long-closed subway leading from it.

I suppose it may be feasible to single between St.John's and Esplanade and install a set of points at Esplanade to serve both sides at Pier Head. It would keep the passenger access to Esplanade simple. Still, I'm sure bigger brains than mine have already thought that one through!
Pat

 

[Journeyman]

A couple of quick questions, 1). Is the loop at Sandown being kept?
2). Is the double track from Ryde Esp to Smallbrook being retained?

If this is the case, together with the new loop at Brading, three types of service could be operated, i.e. 20 minute, 30, minute and hourly. Although with only 5 units their doesn't seem much point!

Yes, no plans at the moment to remove any of the existing double track sections. May well change in the future, though, especially if the steam railway ever reaches Ryde.

 

[hermit]

A couple of quick questions, 1). Is the loop at Sandown being kept?
2). Is the double track from Ryde Esp to Smallbrook being retained?

If this is the case, together with the new loop at Brading, three types of service could be operated, i.e. 20 minute, 30, minute and hourly. Although with only 5 units their doesn't seem much point!

The Brading loop will solve the main problem, which is the inability of a 20/40 minute interval train service to make satisfactory connections with a 30 minute interval catamaran (though except for weekday rush hours and special occasions the cat service has in recent times been reduced to hourly).

But retention of the double track to Smallbrook and the Sandown loop ought to give a measure of extra operational flexibility which would make it easier to hold trains in the event of late-running ferries, so finally putting an end to the bane of cross-Solent travellers - arriving at Pierhead on a slightly late cat and seeing an empty train departing down the pier. (But perhaps I’m being too optimistic - that would require the railway to adopt a more sophisticated performance measure than a simple %age of trains leaving on time).

 

[Chris125]

I‘ve been regularly visiting, and then living on, the island since 1993, and I’ve never seen it used. I recall that in the early days of the Stagecoach franchise the local manager talked of running a shuttle for busy periods such as summer weekends or the Festival, but I‘m pretty sure it never happened. It would have required opening up the disused down platform at Esplanade and the long-closed subway leading from it.

The Island Line franchise did try occasional pier shuttles and 3 train/20min services in the early years, but with little (if any) advance warning and no social media back then they didn't attract much attention.

 

[trebor79]

The Island Line franchise did try occasional pier shuttles and 3 train/20min services in the early years, but with little (if any) advance warning and no social media back then they didn't attract much attention.

I guess a lack of servicable rolling stock has also been a hinderance to such things for the past few years.

 

[hermit]

I guess a lack of servicable rolling stock has also been a hinderance to such things for the past few years.

More to the point, the passenger numbers to justify it have not been there for many years.

 

[BayPaul]

More to the point, the passenger numbers to justify it have not been there for many years.

The Wight Ryders carry up to 260 passengers each. They would have to be pretty full for those people not to be able to all squeeze on a train at pierhead, so I can't see any need for a shuttle anymore. The old 'our ladys' carried over 400, and the conventional ferries before that well over a thousand.