Island Line loop

There is a great deal of support on the Isle of Wight for much-needed investment in its remaining railway.

For far too long, the Island Line has been out of sight and out of mind. With the age of the trains and condition of the track, this situation cannot go on for much longer.

Whatever the replacement rolling stock may be, the consensus is that it will be a 30-minute service frequency which should adequately meet the traffic levels available. Therefore, the passing loop will need to revert from Sandown to the Brading area, where many feel it should have been in the first place.

To meet disabled requirements at Brading only one platform will be used, with a passing loop mooted for outside of the station area. This will affect journey times in what is already a tight schedule within the current line speed of 45mph, but could be rectified if a Penryn-style loop is adopted.

The Penryn loop on the Truro to Falmouth branch line, whereby two trains cross each other and only use the one platform, could

be an excellent proposal for Island Line. It may require the platform at Brading to be extended slightly, but this can be easily accommodated at the ‘London’ end of the platform.

There will be no impact on journey times, and if the idea works on a Cornish branch line, it should work on the Isle of Wight. P E Scott, Ryde