SOUTH Western Railway has announced a new timetable for the Island Line beginning on Sunday (June 2).
The new timetable will see one train every 40 minutes between Shanklin and Ryde Pier Head in each direction, providing three services every two hours, providing additional time for making cross Solent connections. An example of this 40 minute pattern during a weekday morning would be:
- Shanklin (06.07) to Ryde Pier Head (06.34) – connects with ferry service to Portsmouth at 06.45
- Shanklin (06.51) to Ryde Pier Head (07.18) – connects with ferry service to Portsmouth at 07.45
- Shanklin (07.30) to Ryde Pier Head (07.57) – connects with ferry service to Portsmouth at 08.45, as would the following 08.07 service from Shanklin
The changes, which will be in place until the autumn, will improve reliability by giving trains more flexibility at either end of the Island Line to help maintain connections with ferries and hovercraft across the Solent.
Services will call at Smallbrook Junction on days when the Isle of Wight Steam Railway will operate. This timetable also allows time for these stops whilst still being able to serve the pier.
Mark Dunn, South Western Railway’s Island Line General Manager, said:
“We know just how important it is for our train services to connect with ferry services departing from the Island and arriving from the mainland, which is why we have made these temporary timetable changes for the Summer that will see three trains running every two hours between Ryde Pier Head and Shanklin.
“We have listened carefully to feedback from our customers and stakeholders and, while we still aim to deliver a two train per hour timetable, we want to do all we can to make our services as reliable as possible, especially for the holiday seasons.
“We recognise the Island Line’s overall performance has not been at the levels our customers expect, and we are working hard to make improvements that will provide a reliable service our customers can have confidence in.”
SWR services on the mainland will also change on Sunday 2 June. Services between Portsmouth Harbour and London Waterloo will be retimed, which will also improve connections with ferries.
Changes to Portsmouth Harbour to London Waterloo via Guildford are as follows:
- Fast services from Portsmouth Harbour to London Waterloo will depart at 15 minutes past the hour
- Stopping services from Portsmouth Harbour to London Waterloo will depart at 33 minutes past the hour
- On Saturdays, fast services from Portsmouth Harbour to London Waterloo will depart at 15 and 45 minutes past the hour. Stopping services from Portsmouth & Southsea will depart at 37 minutes past the hour