ISLAND LINE FINALLY REOPENS

THE reopening of the Isle of Wight’s Island Line, complete with ‘new’ Vivarail Class 484 (ex-D78 LU District Line) vehicles, took place on November 1 after a £26 million upgrade. However, SWR says the planned half-hourly service pattern (for which enabling engineering works, including reintroduction of a passing loop at Brading, were carried out) will not be introduced until 2022. At present, trains connect at Ryde with the hourly ferries to/from the mainland.