Island Line trains sit idle

My wife and I spent a day recently on the Isle of Wight. The weather was glorious, and the place was packed with visitors.

On arrival, we boarded the bus service from Ryde to Shanklin, which took an hour. We then returned on one of the new Class 484 Island Line trains, which cut the journey time by 35 minutes

and was extremely comfortable and enjoyable.

When we arrived back at Ryde, the railway station’s platform was packed with folk, sweating in the boiling heat, as they waited to begin their journeys on one of these new trains - which was hardly surprising as the rest of the five-strong new fleet was standing idle and unused in nearby sidings.

Considering that this upgrade of the line cost £26 million, the fact that (apparently) only one train can run at a time is, in my view, appalling.

Eric Waters, Lancing