Island Line services from Ryde Pier to Shanklin are back in operation following a comprehensive repair and refurbishment project on the historic pier.
The section between Ryde Esplanade and Ryde Pier Head had been closed since September 2024. During this period, Network Rail and South Western Railway (SWR) engineers undertook essential repairs and maintenance to ensure the pier's long-term safety and reliability for train operations.
Over the past eight months, engineers have worked diligently, enduring challenging weather conditions to install 590 meters of new rail and replace 450 deteriorated wooden sleepers with durable composite sleepers. Additionally, the teams installed 2,500 meters of new rail bearers—steel girders that support the pier's substructure and the sleepers and rails—and refurbished the underside of the pier's substructure.
Neil Drury, South Western Railway’s Infrastructure and Engineering Director, said:
“We’re very pleased to be running trains along the full length of the Island Line, from Ryde Pier Head to Shanklin, after a long but vitally important closure. In the year we celebrate 200 years of the modern railway, it’s great to see that the historic Ryde Pier structure has been repaired and refurbished to support the railway long into the future. We are very grateful to our customers and stakeholders for their patience over the last eight months and look forward to welcoming them back on our services.”
Conor Wilcox, Project Manager at Octavius Infrastructure said “For Octavius there is the satisfaction of an engaging, rewarding project delivered ahead of schedule and on budget. In addition to the trains running along the pier once more, Ryde’s legacy includes innovations that have taken on a life beyond this project and supporting some of the island’s businesses.”
Image and video credits: Network Rail
