By Press Release
Island Line services will run to a reduced timetable, with an hourly service between Ryde Pier Head and Shanklin, from Thursday 29th February.
The Island Line’s normal timetable of two trains per hour will operate during the Easter, early May bank holiday, and summer holidays, ensuring a full service operates during the Island Line’s busiest periods.
The reduced timetable will operate while the Island Line’s five Class 484 trains undergo additional maintenance at Ryde Traincare Depot. By reducing the timetable to one train per hour, more trains will be available for the busier times of year.
Mark Dunn, South Western Railway’s Island Line General Manager, said: “To ensure that we are able to run a full service of two trains per hour at the busiest times of the year, we have made the difficult decision to move to an hourly timetable from Thursday 29 February. We have recently found that our Class 484 fleet requires more maintenance than we would normally expect. By running our trains less frequently we will have more time to complete that maintenance and will thereby increase their availability.
“We understand just how important the Easter, May bank holiday and summer holidays are to the Island, and the link with ferries to the mainland, so we want to do all we can to ensure a full service can run at those busier times.”
Customers are also reminded that a five-day closure for essential maintenance and improvements will take place between Friday 8th and Tuesday 12th March, with buses replacing trains between Ryde Pier Head and Shanklin.
