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No Island Line Service For Three Months From Tomorrow

Island Line services will be suspended for three months from tomorrow (Monday), as work to upgrade the railway commences.

Trains are set to be suspended whilst major work takes place on the line in preparation for the introduction of new Class 484 trains.

It's all part of a £26 million overhaul of the network, funded primarily from the Department for Transport (£25 million), with support from Isle of Wight Council (£300,000) and Solent Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) (£700,000).

New trains will replace the existing 82-year old Class 483 fleet, which were originally built in 1938 for the London Underground, and have served Island Line since the late 1980s. 

Alongside the modern fleet, Island Line will soon benefit from a number of infrastructure and station improvements including:

  • A new passing loop at Brading, allowing for a service at regular 30-minute intervals
  • Track enhancement work to improve the ride quality
  • Adjustments to platform heights to improve accessibility

From 4 January 2021 until 31 March 2021, no service will run on Island Line whilst work is carried out to deliver the biggest transformation to the line’s infrastructure since the line was electrified in 1967, as previously reported by Isle of Wight Radio.

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