Island Line, Isle of Wight

The line from Ryde St John's Road to Shanklin was opened on 23 August 1864, having been built by the Isle of Wight Railway. In 1866, the line was extended through to Ventnor. The line was originally built as single track throughout, with passing loops provided at Brading, Sandown and Shanklin stations.

In 1880, the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) and London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LBSCR) opened a jointly-owned line north from Ryde St John's Road. Under the direction of LBSCR Chief Engineer Frederick Banister,[15] the building of the extension included a new tunnel and a third Ryde Pier to enable the line to reach Ryde Pier Head, which provided a connection with the companies' ferry services. When the LBSC/LSWR joint line opened, it was as a double track section from Ryde St John's Road station through to Ryde Pier Head. There was a scissors crossover situated on Ryde Pier to allow trains to access all platforms. Sets of crossovers were installed at St John's Road to enable trains to change from the joint line's left-hand running to the single-track sections on the Isle of Wight Central Railway's Newport line and the Isle of Wight Railway's Shanklin line (now known as the Island Line).[16]

Following the Railways Act 1921, the Island Line and the other railways on the Isle of Wight became part of the Southern Railway. In 1926, crossovers and a signalbox were installed at Smallbrook Junction to extend double track operation from St John's Road. However, the signalbox was used only in the summer when traffic levels were high. In winter, the two lines from Smallbrook to St. John's Road reverted to independent single track operation.[16]

In 1927,[16] the passing loops at Brading and Sandown were connected to form a second section of double track.

British Rail Class 485 485045 at Shanklin, in the late 1980s Network SouthEast livery with Ryde Rail branding

BR Class 485 train traversing Ryde Pier

In 1948, the Southern Railway was nationalised, as part of British Railways, later British Rail. The line from Shanklin to Ventnor closed in April 1966. Steam trains were withdrawn from Ryde Pier on 17 September, and the whole line on 31 December 1966. While the line was closed, the trackbed in Ryde Tunnel was raised to reduce flooding and decrease gradients,[17] the rebuilding of Ryde Pier Head station was completed, and Ryde Esplanade station was also substantially modified. The line reopened in March 1967 following its electrification with a 660 V DC third rail system.[1][18][19] The rolling stock introduced to the line was former London Underground 'Standard Stock', which had been built between 1923 and 1934, and was designated as British Rail Classes 485 and 486.[20] In the 1980s, British Rail was sectorised and the line became part of the Network SouthEast sector. Services on the line were branded as Ryde Rail.

British Rail opened two new stations on the line - Lake in 1987, and Smallbrook Junction in 1991, which links to the Isle of Wight Steam Railway.

The double track between Sandown and Brading, along with the Brading passing loop, were removed in 1988. In 1989, the passenger service was branded as Island Line for the first time, as the name and logo was included on the "new" Class 483 trains' livery. However, this rebranding did not officially occur until 1994. The Class 483s had been introduced in 1989, and, like their predecessors, were former London Underground stock, dating from 1938.[21]

Following the privatisation of British Rail, the rights to run services on the line were put out to tender as a franchise. Uniquely on the National Rail network, the franchise agreement also required the successful bidder to maintain the railway line in addition to the stations and trains.[22] Stagecoach Group were announced as the winner of the franchise and from October 1996 they operated passenger services under the name Island Line Trains.

In 2002, a form of Automatic Train Protection was installed on the line. This involved the refitting of tripcocks on trains and the associated train stop trackside equipment at signals. This system is almost identical to the one originally fitted to the trains when in service on the London Underground, although it is in use only at signals protecting single-track sections of the route.[23]

The Department for Transport designated the line as a community railway in March 2006, under reforms to help boost use of rural and branch lines in the UK rail network.[24]

From February 2007, the Island Line franchise was merged with the South West Trains franchise on the mainland. Stagecoach was announced as the winner of the expanded franchise and operated Island Line as a South West Trains subsidiary.[25] However, the Island Line name was retained, styled as Island Line Trains, and was promoted as a separate division on the South West Trains website.

Island Line Trains also repainted stations in a heritage scheme of cream and green, as part of a general station improvement package.[26]

In August 2017, the franchise was taken over by South Western Railway who have maintained the Island Line brand.[27]

British Rail Class 483 483007 Jess Harper at Shanklin on the final day of Class 483 operations, 3 January 2021. This unit was transferred to the adjacent Isle of Wight Steam Railway after being retired.[28]

A newer Class 484 next to an older 483, showing the difference in height between them.

On 16 September 2019, it was confirmed that £26 million would be invested in the Isle of Wight's railways. This included the introduction of five Class 484 units built by Vivarail using D78 Stock bodyshells to replace the ageing Class 483 fleet,[29] which had become unreliable to the point that services on the line had to be halved in frequency for around a month.[30][31] As the new Class 484 trains would sit higher above rail level than the Class 483 they would replace, the track through most stations was expected to be lowered in order to prevent a large vertical difference between the train floor height and the platform height. At stations where this was not possible, platform height was instead due to be raised.[32] The voltage on the third rail was to be raised to 750V DC.[2][33]

The reinstatement of a long-removed passing loop at Brading was also planned in order to allow trains to run at even half-hourly intervals, with island-based stakeholders including the Isle of Wight Council and Solent Local Enterprise Partnership contributing £1 million.[29][34] The plan as suggested in 2007-8 envisaged the passing loop at Brading replacing that at Sandown, which would have been abandoned along with the remaining double track within Ryde.[35] However, the Programme Manager from South Western Railway has publicly stated that the option of running a 20-minute service will remain after the upgrade[36] which implies that the existing passing points would remain operable. A total of 7,000 tonnes of spoil was expected to be removed during the work.[36]

The original plan as announced in September 2019 was that most of the work on the track would take place over the winter of 2020–2021, with a "shuttle" train service planned during this period.[37] Rail services were expected to be replaced by buses between Shanklin and Ryde St John's Road for 8 weeks in Autumn 2020 while the work was done, with a four-week suspension expected between St John's Road and Ryde Pier Head.[36] However, delivery of the upgrade was delayed due to the effect of the coronavirus pandemic. In August 2020, it was announced that instead of two different closure periods, the line would close completely from 4 January until 31 March 2021 for physical upgrades including platform work and the Brading loop.[38][39] Buses were to replace trains between Ryde Esplanade and Shanklin during the work with a minibus shuttle service to connect Ryde Esplanade to Ryde Pier Head, although the latter was not operated while the catamaran ferry was suspended.[38][39][40] The rolling stock was also delayed due to delays at the manufacturer,[41] and the first of the Class 484 trains was delivered in November 2020.[42] In February 2021, it was announced that progress on the upgrade work and on the new trains had been further delayed due to the pandemic, requiring the line to close for six weeks longer than originally announced, meaning trains were not expected to run again until May.[43][44] Subsequently, problems with software on the new trains delayed their introduction until later in the year.[45] In August 2021, flooding caused damage at 16 sites on Island Line, with 200 tonnes of ballast from the mainland needed to carry out repairs. However good progress has been made with the testing of the trains and the infrastructure works are largely complete with only snagging items to deal with. The line reopened on 1 November 2021.[46]

Between October 2022 and June 2023, Ryde Pier Head was closed to facilitate a £17 million repair and upgrade to the pier, as it was coming towards the end of its operational life.[47][48]

Ryde Esplanade is due to be rebuilt, to include a café, a link to Ryde Pier Head, a new waiting hall, a ticket office, an operations room and better staff accommodation.[49] To begin works, the station was closed briefly in March 2023 and works are currently ongoing.[12][50]

In the mid-1990s it was proposed to reopen the line south of Shanklin, to the original terminus at Ventnor. Despite the high costs involved, the island's MP in 2018 called for feasibility studies on this project and on the prospect of trains running between Ryde and Newport using a mix of the existing heritage railway and a rebuilt section of line between Wooton and Newport.[53]

Other proposals put forward for the future of the railway line have included converting the line to a guided busway, something considered in 2005,[54] and the late 2010s as part of a consultation on the line's future.[55] The first plan for a Solent tunnel to connect the island's railways to the mainland network was authorised in the early 20th century[56] and although work to build a rail tunnel has never started, this proposal has resurfaced several times in more recent history.[57]

There have also been proposals to rebuild the line as a light rail route at several points, which would potentially allow for extension into Shanklin and other town centres,[58] the most recent being after a 2016 review of the route by transport expert Christopher Garnett commissioned by the Isle of Wight Council. It suggested converting the route with the third rail replaced with overhead lines and the remaining double-track singled with just passing loops provided. It was reported that ten T-69 trams which were built in 1999, and had previously operated on the Midland Metro, could be re-used for this scheme.[59] The Isle of Wight Council's Local Transport Plan previously mentioned that any improvements to the railway should ensure compatibility with the currently shelved South Hampshire Rapid Transit scheme. None of these light rail ideas have been progressed.

The Railway Magazine reported that a meeting took place on 11 February 2015 which covered a relaxation of public railway regulation and safety standards as well as transferring the line to a Social Enterprise Company. According to RM, people present at the meeting included Claire Perry (Rail Minister), Andrew Turner (MP for the Isle of Wight), Nick Finney (Turner's transport advisor) and local councillors. News of the meeting gave rise to local controversy.[60]

On 23 May 2020, the Department for Transport announced that approval had been given to investigate the possible reinstatement of some or all of the tracks between Shanklin and Ventnor and Ryde and Newport.[61] It was one of ten schemes across UK approved for more study under an "Ideas Fund". The feasibility studies into reopening the two rail routes began in January 2021.[62][63]

In July 2021, an outline case was submitted by the Isle of Wight Council to the Department for Transport, seeking funding for a £67 million project to study the feasibility of restoring the link between the existing Ryde to Shanklin line and the island's main town, Newport, running via Blackwater. The trackbed of this line "remains very largely intact", making it the most viable line.[64] The line, closed in 1956, was once part of a 55-mile network stretching across the island. Newport station was demolished in 1971. If it is approved by the government through the Restoring Your Railway programme, the next stage would entail the authority preparing a more detailed business plan.[65] In June 2022, the Department for Transport posted a Programme Update of the Restore Your Railway (RYR). The Island Line branch line is listed under 'Schemes not progressing to delivery under RYR'. The Island Line proposal will be given detailed feedback including recommended next steps and alternative routes for consideration as appropriate.[66]

• Hardy, Brian (2003). Tube Trains on the Isle of Wight. Harrow Weald, Middlesex: Capital Transport. ISBN 1-85414-276-3.