Another Island Line closure.

[XAM2175]

With the demise of Vivarail I hope it will not be the same as on the Marston Vale Line, i.e. no trains al all from today (again).

The WMT fleet was stopped because Vivarail were responsible for its routine maintenance, which has obligations they can't uphold at the moment. The Island Line stock on the other hand is directly maintained by SWR.

 

[hermit]

We have gone from a situation where the ferry/train interchange was very unreliable (though less so since Wightlink completed their refurbishment of the Portsmouth terminal) to one where the connections are generous in the extreme. At least we can now be sure of making them.

I agree that many people will now find other ways of getting to and from Pierhead and that Island Line will lose out. One option that would normally be available to islanders would be to go by car and park at Pierhead, but that is now problematic since so many parking spaces are occupied by the pier works project that the car park is full much of the time. I expect to be walking up and down the pier quite a lot, which can be challenging in winter conditions.

There has recently been a move by islanders to press Wightlink to reinstate the evening services that have not run since before Covid. A petition demanding this has attracted more than 3000 signatures. The current last catamaran from Portsmouth runs at the absurdly early hour of 2020. Wightlink say that extra crossings could only be considered if passenger numbers go up. Unfortunately the extended journey times and general inconvenience caused by the pier works will make that unlikely to happen, and indeed it seems more likely that numbers using the catamaran and the Island Line trains will take a big hit.

An update on the ferry timetable. Contrary to my rather gloomy prediction, Wightlink have announced that the evening catamarans are to be restored from March 27, so the last one will leave Portsmouth at 2245, as in pre-Covid times. There will also be a consistent hourly service throughout the day, without the mid-morning and mid-afternoon gaps that complicated journey planning and threatened you with a 2 hour wait if your train was late.

These changes will make a huge difference, particularly to islanders wanting to travel to mainland events, and are very welcome (though, to be churlish, it might be suggested that they are long overdue). There is however no sign of the restoration of any half-hourly rush hour service, so Island Line will still be let off the hook over their failure (inability?) to run half-hourly up the pier once the present works are finished.

In other news, Wightlink have also announced that they are tweaking the timings of some of the Yarmouth ferries so as to improve connections with SWR trains at Lymington Pier.

 

[PedroHav]

Perhaps for the period the pier station is closed the trains could be retimed to connect with the hovercraft ...

 

[DelW]

An update on the ferry timetable. Contrary to my rather gloomy prediction, Wightlink have announced that the evening catamarans are to be restored from March 27, so the last one will leave Portsmouth at 2245, as in pre-Covid times. There will also be a consistent hourly service throughout the day, without the mid-morning and mid-afternoon gaps that complicated journey planning and threatened you with a 2 hour wait if your train was late.

These changes will make a huge difference, particularly to islanders wanting to travel to mainland events, and are very welcome (though, to be churlish, it might be suggested that they are long overdue). There is however no sign of the restoration of any half-hourly rush hour service, so Island Line will still be let off the hook over their failure (inability?) to run half-hourly up the pier once the present works are finished.

In other news, Wightlink have also announced that they are tweaking the timings of some of the Yarmouth ferries so as to improve connections with SWR trains at Lymington Pier.

From a visitor's rather than locals' viewpoint, it's good news that the morning and afternoon gaps will be disappearing. The mid-morning one in particular was a real disincentive to the day trips that I used to do. I look forward to getting back to the island in the spring.

The Yarmouth - Lymington improvements might hopefully avoid the frustrations I felt last time I went that way. Going back home the ferry was about five minutes late docking, and just as the gangway went down, the empty train departed to Brock (where it would sit for quite a long time before returning to collect us). It was most annoying, for me and a hundred or more others.

 

[cav1975]

An update on the ferry timetable. Contrary to my rather gloomy prediction, Wightlink have announced that the evening catamarans are to be restored from March 27, so the last one will leave Portsmouth at 2245, as in pre-Covid times. There will also be a consistent hourly service throughout the day, without the mid-morning and mid-afternoon gaps that complicated journey planning and threatened you with a 2 hour wait if your train was late.

These changes will make a huge difference, particularly to islanders wanting to travel to mainland events, and are very welcome (though, to be churlish, it might be suggested that they are long overdue). There is however no sign of the restoration of any half-hourly rush hour service, so Island Line will still be let off the hook over their failure (inability?) to run half-hourly up the pier once the present works are finished.

In other news, Wightlink have also announced that they are tweaking the timings of some of the Yarmouth ferries so as to improve connections with SWR trains at Lymington Pier.

I just hope that they also address the excessive connection times that the journey planners put in for rail - ferry transfer, particularly at Portsmouth Harbour.

 

[Russel]

Has Ryde Pier Head reopened yet?

Also, what is the scope of the works taking place, is it all strengthening and maintenance of the pier structure it's self or will the passenger areas of the station also see some TLC?

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Perhaps for the period the pier station is closed the trains could be retimed to connect with the hovercraft ...

Good idea.

It's do-able at the moment northbound provided you haven't got any luggage or slow walkers with you, but it's very tight... and if you don't have a through ticket you won't make it! I managed it in early December, although I certainly wasn't expecting to.

 

[hermit]

Has Ryde Pier Head reopened yet?

Also, what is the scope of the works taking place, is it all strengthening and maintenance of the pier structure it's self or will the passenger areas of the station also see some TLC?

As far as I’m aware, there’s no indication yet as to when trains will restart running up the pier beyond ‘late spring’.

The only major change to the station at Pier Head is the removal of the decrepit windshield protecting the platform from westerly winds, which has been demolished and is, I presume, being replaced with something more presentable. The platform itself was raised and resurfaced as part of the 2021 upgrade. The buildings beyond the platform ends are Wightlink’s responsibility and are not part of the project.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 28 Jan 2023 ==

Perhaps for the period the pier station is closed the trains could be retimed to connect with the hovercraft ...

That won’t happen, and would anyway probably have upset the (admittedly generous) connections up and down the pier to the catamaran service.

But interestingly enough Hovertravel revealed before Christmas that they were liaising with Island Line with a view to changing their flight times so as to better connect with the trains at Esplanade when the full post-closure train service resumes. They consulted users on whether this would be a good idea, to which I imagine they got a resounding ‘yes’ in response.

 

[Dstock7080]

Amphetamine, cannabis and cash seized by police in drug raids

Two men have been arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs and acquiring criminal property

onthewight.com

Engineers working to improve Ryde Pier have provided a progress update after battling through winter storms to give the Victorian pier a new lease of life.
Despite the revised programme timescales, there is good news for Island Line customers as from Sunday 2 April, SWR will operate two trains per hour between Ryde Esplanade and Shanklin, fulfilling a long-term franchise commitment.

Island Line services will operate as follows:

• Ryde Pier will remain closed until the completion of the programme in late spring, with a minibus connecting to Island Line train services.
• Ryde Esplanade will be closed from Monday 13 March with buses replacing trains between Ryde Pier and Ryde St Johns via Ryde Esplanade. The station will re-open by Saturday 1 April.
• From Sunday 2 April, two trains per hour will operate between Ryde Esplanade and Shanklin, with a rail replacement bus service from Ryde Esplanade to Ryde Pier Head.[/I]

 

[fgwrich]

Amphetamine, cannabis and cash seized by police in drug raids

Two men have been arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs and acquiring criminal property

onthewight.com

I wonder what work is being done to Esplanade station now? I hope in that 2 week closure, some tidying up of the track work and disused second platform is undertaken as it presents quite a poor image to those arriving at Ryde by Rail / Ferry & Hovercraft at the moment!

 

[Gloster]

The work on the road side of Esplanade station to produce a transport interchange/make the bus station look less tatty should have been completed by the end of March. However, in line with everything else connected with Islandline, although the railway is only marginally involved this time, it has overrun and they are now saying June. The westbound carriageway of the Esplanade will be closed and it appears that traffic will have to make a lengthy detour that takes it up to the edge of the town centre. What the effect of the detour on the RRBs, particularly those coming from the Pier Head, will be is not clear, but it won’t help.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 18 Mar 2023 ==

It is being reported (Islandecho) that work at Esplanade has been postponed and trains from the south will run as far as that station from 19 March. The work is to be rescheduled, no doubt to a time when there is no other work going on and they can have yet another closure. That is far better than getting all the work and inconvenience to passengers over at one time.

 

[hermit]

Island Line have also announced that a two-train service between Esplanade and Shanklin will be reintroduced from 2 April.

As for the line up the pier, the contractors have made a start on laying the track alongside the platform at Pier Head station, replacing the void that was left when the old track was removed, presumably to allow access to the supporting beams and piers. There still looks a lot of work to be done before trains can run there.
Similarly, completion of the new pedestrian walkway up the old tram pier looks a long way off - supporting beams have been laid for less than half of the pier’s length.

 

[Russel]

Island Line have also announced that a two-train service between Esplanade and Shanklin will be reintroduced from 2 April.

As for the line up the pier, the contractors have made a start on laying the track alongside the platform at Pier Head station, replacing the void that was left when the old track was removed, presumably to allow access to the supporting beams and piers. There still looks a lot of work to be done before trains can run there.
Similarly, completion of the new pedestrian walkway up the old tram pier looks a long way off - supporting beams have been laid for less than half of the pier’s length.

Is there a rough date for reopening the line to Pier Head yet?

Reason I ask is I was planning to visit in early May.

 

[Gloster]

Is there a rough date for reopening the line to Pier Head yet?

Reason I ask is I was planning to visit in early May.

Then you will probably be out of luck. Rumour, although reasonably well-sourced, is that it is likely to be late-May or, more likely, June before trains run along the Pier again. However, nothing is certain, but as it is Islandline you need to be pessimistic. Additionally, the bus station is being rebuilt and this has overrun (see #71), so the replacement taxis between the Pier Head and Esplanade may be affected, although I presume they will continue to run.

 

[Russel]

Then you will probably be out of luck. Rumour, although reasonably well-sourced, is that it is likely to be late-May or, more likely, June before trains run along the Pier again. However, nothing is certain, but as it is Islandline you need to be pessimistic. Additionally, the bus station is being rebuilt and this has overrun (see #71), so the replacement taxis between the Pier Head and Esplanade may be affected, although I presume they will continue to run.

That's shockingly poor.

 

[AlbertBeale]

That's shockingly poor.

On a recent London-Shanklin return journey, given that the pierhead connection was still out of action, necessitating a walk or taxi to Esplanade, I thought it worth trying the hovercraft link instead for a change (despite the deterrent effect of needing a bus transfer on the mainland side, rather than the gangplank being more or less at the end of the platform for the ferry route). I was also put off the ferry by the fact that it's not as frequent as it used to be. (Of course the "via hovercraft" route is a couple of quid cheaper for a through rail return than via the ferry - so it's got that going for it.)

I'd forgotten (if I ever knew!) that the bus link on the mainland side doesn't run from the station, but from an ordinary bus stop round the corner - which isn't obvious to find. But at least at the hoverport the bus takes you to the door, and seems to be organised as a scheduled connection there; and the hovercraft run at least twice an hour (sometimes more, I think). However, it turned out that there's no attempt to have any connection between the hovercraft and train on the island side; as far as the hovercraft is concerned, Esplanade is the destination and that's that - for onwards journeys you're on your own.

But on the return trip I was impressed by the efficiency - though I guess it was just luck. From stepping on the train at Shanklin, to stepping off at Waterloo, it was barely 2-and-a-half hours - as good as the old days via the ferry... Arriving at Esplanade I was over the footbridge just in time to get on board the hovercraft before it left; the bus was waiting on the other side; and I got to the station and up to the platform with about 2 minutes to spare before the London train.

But I'd still rather use the better-connected ferry link ... once the line up the pier is back, and once the trains and ferries are both back to a half-hourly frequency, and once the schedules are designed to connect again... (Will all this ever happen in the foreseeable future?) When I was there the island trains were only hourly for much of the day (though I think the all-day half-hourly should be back by now).

On my recent trip, the island trains seemed to crawl along for much of the northern half of the route - so is there an expectation that a half-hourly serivce can be maintained when the pier is open and they're running the full route? And what chance of enough leeway at the pierhead turnround to allow trains and boats to meet, so that the same train feeds passengers onto the same boat as it's receiving arriving passengers from? That slick connection, with boat and train both in situ for 5 minutes or so simultaneously, used to work once - before the "improvements" to the line. So surely it can happen again? If the trains collect passengers from a sailing that's already left again before that train's arriving passengers are there to board, then that adds a big chunk of time to through journeys.

 

[hermit]

Hovertravel consulted last autumn about whether to try to align their flights more closely with Island Line trains at Esplanade once the definitive train timetable is introduced after the pier reopens. So that issue is at least being thought about.

As for the Wightlink catamarans, I don’t think there is any prospect of there being a regular half-hourly service in future (unless there is a radical change of government policy so as to introduce mandatory service level requirements and/or public subsidy). Wightlink only restored the basic hourly service, and a late(-ish) evening service last week following Covid-related reductions. Their present timetable only provides for a second boat service on a few busy holiday days and at weekends in high summer.

This to some extent lets Island Line off the hook on the vexed question of whether they can run a half-hourly service up the pier. As was shown before the current pier closure, an hourly train up the pier can normally provide a tight though workable connection to each catamaran call for both leaving and arriving passengers. The main benefit of a second train would be to provide resilience for when the catamaran is running late, as can happen, for example due to shipping movements or bad weather. It would have been particularly valuable last year during the long period when Wightlink were rebuilding their Portsmouth terminal, which had a serious effect on punctuality of the service. A lot of people were left with near one- hour, or at some times two-hour, waits for a train at Pierhead.

 

[Meerkat]

Hovertravel consulted last autumn about whether to try to align their flights more closely with Island Line trains at Esplanade once the definitive train timetable is introduced after the pier reopens. So that issue is at least being thought about.

As for the Wightlink catamarans, I don’t think there is any prospect of there being a regular half-hourly service in future (unless there is a radical change of government policy so as to introduce mandatory service level requirements and/or public subsidy). Wightlink only restored the basic hourly service, and a late(-ish) evening service last week following Covid-related reductions. Their present timetable only provides for a second boat service on a few busy holiday days and at weekends in high summer.

This to some extent lets Island Line off the hook on the vexed question of whether they can run a half-hourly service up the pier. As was shown before the current pier closure, an hourly train up the pier can normally provide a tight though workable connection to each catamaran call for both leaving and arriving passengers. The main benefit of a second train would be to provide resilience for when the catamaran is running late, as can happen, for example due to shipping movements or bad weather. It would have been particularly valuable last year during the long period when Wightlink were rebuilding their Portsmouth timetable, which had a serious effect on punctuality of the service. A lot of people were left with near one- hour, or at some times two-hour, waits for a train at Pierhead.

Isn't the train the accessible route off the catamarans, as the buses can't go on the pier (for people who can't walk that far as well as the disabled etc)? If the cats are half hourly and the trains aren't are they expecting people to realise and pick the right sailing?

 

[hermit]

Isn't the train the accessible route off the catamarans, as the buses can't go on the pier (for people who can't walk that far as well as the disabled etc)? If the cats are half hourly and the trains aren't are they expecting people to realise and pick the right sailing?

But, as I said, the cats aren’t half hourly except on high days and holidays.

For those who, for whatever reason, don’t make the train connection and cannot walk down the pier, the options are to take a taxi or wait.

 

[DarloRich]

We made the taxi in one direction and the walk in the other to make the ferry connection. It looks like it will be some time until the station is back open.

Ryde Pier Head by MK Darlo, on Flickr

Ryde by MK Darlo, on Flickr

Ryde Esplanade by MK Darlo, on Flickr

 

[Gloster]

It looks like it will be some time until the station is back open.

The latest (well-sourced) rumour is mid- to late-June.

 

[DarloRich]

The latest (well-sourced) rumour is mid- to late-June.

there is a lot of work still to do to meet that date

 

[Gloster]

Paul Clifton (BBC South Transport Correspondent) is reporting ‘no later than 10 June’ on his Twitter post. We shall see.

https://twitter.com/PaulCliftonBBC/status/1647967652919365632

Define “late Spring.” Previously ⁦@NetworkRailWssx⁩ said Ryde Pier would reopen “by late spring,” after closing last October for large-scale remedial work. Winter weather delayed work.

Isle of Wight: Ryde Pier Head station to reopen by 10 June

Network Rail and South Western Railway (SWR) can confirm that the station and line between Ryde Pier Head and Ryde Esplanade stations will open no later than 10 June, in time for the start of the summer holidays and the Isle of Wight Festival.

www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk

Network Rail and South Western Railway (SWR) can confirm that the station and line between Ryde Pier Head and Ryde Esplanade stations will open no later than 10 June, in time for the start of the summer holidays and the Isle of Wight Festival.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 19 Apr 2023 ==

From the 22 May the 06.15 Portsmouth Harbour-Waterloo will leave at 06.10, while the 05.45 Ryde Pier Head-Portsmouth Harbour FastCat is still expected to have a 22 minute crossing time: this reduces the connection time to a theoretical three minutes. (Island Echo describes this as ‘better connectivity’, but it is only regurgitating a press release.)

(Yes, mods, you needn’t send me the normal ballcocking for not doing a link (which I can’t do), for not making a comment to promote discussion (it speaks for itself) or for not including a quote (hardly necessary).

 

[hermit]

Paul Clifton (BBC South Transport Correspondent) is reporting ‘no later than 10 June’ on his Twitter post. We shall see.

https://twitter.com/PaulCliftonBBC/status/1647967652919365632

Isle of Wight: Ryde Pier Head station to reopen by 10 June

Network Rail and South Western Railway (SWR) can confirm that the station and line between Ryde Pier Head and Ryde Esplanade stations will open no later than 10 June, in time for the start of the summer holidays and the Isle of Wight Festival.

www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 19 Apr 2023 ==

From the 22 May the 06.15 Portsmouth Harbour-Waterloo will leave at 06.10, while the 05.45 Ryde Pier Head-Portsmouth Harbour FastCat is still expected to have a 22 minute crossing time: this reduces the connection time to a theoretical three minutes. (Island Echo describes this as ‘better connectivity’, but it is only regurgitating a press release.)

(Yes, mods, you needn’t send me the normal ballcocking for not doing a link (which I can’t do), for not making a comment to promote discussion (it speaks for itself) or for not including a quote (hardly necessary).

Following this impractically tight connection time being pointed out, Wightlink have tweaked their timetable so that the first departure from Pierhead will leave five minutes earlier, at 0540. Good.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Following this impractically tight connection time being pointed out, Wightlink have tweaked their timetable so that the first departure from Pierhead will leave five minutes earlier, at 0540. Good.

What's the official minimum connection time at Ryde Pier Head?

...because the first train - albeit it only starts at St John's Road - is due in at 05.36. A four minute connection.

 

[hermit]

What's the official minimum connection time at Ryde Pier Head?

...because the first train - albeit it only starts at St John's Road - is due in at 05.36. A four minute connection.

Wightlink’s stated position is that foot passengers must check in no later than 15 minutes before ferry departure time. In practice this is ignored, both at Pierhead and Portsmouth Harbour. If it weren’t, most normal train connections wouldn’t be possible.

The walk from train to ferry is further than it used to be before the trains took to stopping well back from the buffers, but still only takes a couple of minutes.

 

[Gloster]

According to BBC South’s Paul Clifton‘s Twitter (repeating SW_Help’s Twitter) the Pier will not now reopen to trains until 10 July. That is over eight months since it closed for a thirteen week closure, up from ten when first announced: on 17 April they said that it would be no later than 10 June. This is all due to a three month delay due to ‘extreme weather’ (what weather: three miles away we had a mild and calm winter) and ’being forced to revise their designs’. The soap opera and gravy train continue. Ker-ching.

Sorry mods, I can’t do a link, but you have a quote and a comment.

 

[fgwrich]

According to BBC South’s Paul Clifton‘s Twitter (repeating SW_Help’s Twitter) the Pier will not now reopen to trains until 10 July. That is over eight months since it closed for a thirteen week closure, up from ten when first announced: on 17 April they said that it would be no later than 10 June. This is all due to a three month delay due to ‘extreme weather’ (what weather: three miles away we had a mild and calm winter) and ’being forced to revise their designs’. The soap opera and gravy train continue. Ker-ching.

Sorry mods, I can’t do a link, but you have a quote and a comment.

Having seen photos, it’s not the weather from the sky that’s caused the issues but extreme high tides. Some photos have shown tides up to and swamping the platforms installed by the contractors to renew and replace the decking.

I can’t find the exact photos of it, but you can see the lower decking in these photos from Phil Marsh on Twitter.

 

[hermit]

According to BBC South’s Paul Clifton‘s Twitter (repeating SW_Help’s Twitter) the Pier will not now reopen to trains until 10 July. That is over eight months since it closed for a thirteen week closure, up from ten when first announced: on 17 April they said that it would be no later than 10 June. This is all due to a three month delay due to ‘extreme weather’ (what weather: three miles away we had a mild and calm winter) and ’being forced to revise their designs’. The soap opera and gravy train continue. Ker-ching.

Sorry mods, I can’t do a link, but you have a quote and a comment.

I too was surprised at the explanation that the delay was due to ‘extreme weather’. As someone who lives in one of the most exposed places on the island I can say that the recent winter was exceptionally calm, with hardly any of the successions of southwesterly gales we usually get. The contractors got off very lightly, it could have been much more difficult for them.

However, according to the report by John Mitchell in the current issue of the IWSR magazine, Island Rail News, the delay is being attributed to gale-force winds at the end of December and into January which ‘severely damaged‘ the scaffolding beneath part of the pier, leading to it being replaced by ‘a far more resilient installation’. Hmm. If high tides were part of the problem, these are of course pretty predictable.

The new delay means that the line will not be open in time for the Isle of Wight Festival in a fortnight’s time. The lack of trains may not make much difference, as I don’t think many festival-goers have used them anyway in recent years, tending to walk to and from the festival shuttle-buses at Esplanade or take taxis. But the large numbers involved will add to the chaos at Pierhead caused by large areas being taken up by the contractors.

On a more positive note, it may be that the new pedestrian footway being built on the old tramway pier will be ready in time for the festival. When I passed yesterday, it looked fairly close to completion. That would relieve the pressure on the road pier.

 

[Gloster]

I too was surprised at the explanation that the delay was due to ‘extreme weather’. As someone who lives in one of the most exposed places on the island I can say that the recent winter was exceptionally calm, with hardly any of the successions of southwesterly gales we usually get. The contractors got off very lightly, it could have been much more difficult for them.

However, according to the report by John Mitchell in the current issue of the IWSR magazine, Island Rail News, the delay is being attributed to gale-force winds at the end of December and into January which ‘severely damaged‘ the scaffolding beneath part of the pier, leading to it being replaced by ‘a far more resilient installation’. Hmm. If high tides were part of the problem, these are of course pretty predictable.

The new delay means that the line will not be open in time for the Isle of Wight Festival in a fortnight’s time. The lack of trains may not make much difference, as I don’t think many festival-goers have used them anyway in recent years, tending to walk to and from the festival shuttle-buses at Esplanade or take taxis. But the large numbers involved will add to the chaos at Pierhead caused by large areas being taken up by the contractors.

On a more positive note, it may be that the new pedestrian footway being built on the old tramway pier will be ready in time for the festival. When I passed yesterday, it looked fairly close to completion. That would relieve the pressure on the road pier.

A week or so ago I heard two men (in normal clothing, not orange) talking at the site. Despite my attempts to listen in the background noise meant that the only thing I clearly heard was one saying that the footway would be ready by June 8.