Island Line’s Ryde Pier shut until at least spring 2023
AN iconic part of the Isle of Wight’s railway is to close from the end of October until at least next spring.
Ryde Pier needs major work to keep it safe. The pier is the point where Island Line trains meet Wightlink ferries and is a critical link in the island’s transport infrastructure.
Although the work has been known about for years, it was not done during the ten-month closure of the entire line during 2021, when track and trains were upgraded. It means passengers on the tourism-dependent island will be significantly disrupted for the second time in two years. Minibuses will transfer passengers from Ryde Esplanade station to the pier head.
South Western Railway is responsible for managing both the railway and the infrastructure on the island, but Network Rail owns the pier. NR says the £29 million “complex programme of vital maintenance” will extend the pier’s life by 60 years.
The pier has two tracks, although one is disused. Trains are restricted to 20mph.
At 208 years old, Ryde is the world’s oldest pleasure pier, and the second longest after Southend.
The pier was built as three separate structures: a promenade open to cars; a tramway that closed in 1969; and the railway. The railway part of the pier is the youngest, constructed in 1878-80.
The pier enables ferries to berth even at low tide, when the sea retreats almost half a mile from the shore. Its most recent major refurbishment was in 1962.
Emergency repairs were carried out in 2012 and 2013. The steelwork is badly corroded, and wooden structures are decaying. The adjacent promenade, which is not managed by Network Rail, is in a better state of repair.
Network Rail had planned to do the work earlier this year. A company briefing document states: “…due to a delay in obtaining permits to begin work, this was pushed back. This delay meant changes to the scope of work and the length of the programme.”
It adds: “It is also possible that when engineers begin work, they may discover more problems that require further repairs. This could extend the closure.”
Reopening is not anticipated before at least late March 2023.
Wessex Route Director Mark Killick said: “Planning this work has been very challenging, as we’ve had to work around other improvements to the Island Line while trying to understand the condition of the structure.
“Our engineers now have a very complex programme of work to deliver, made more difficult by the pier’s different construction methods and the seasons they’ll be working in.”
The 686-metre-long pier is split into six sections which were built in different ways.
During the last 60 years, there have been several emergency repairs, using a combination of partial refurbishments and full replacements of metal and timber structures.
SWR Managing Director Claire Mann said: “During our improvement programme in 2021, engineers surveyed Ryde Pier and discovered major work was needed to continue to run trains.
“We’ve worked closely with Network Rail to ensure the repairs can be carried out while causing the least amount of disruption possible.”
The railway’s main purpose today is still to bring visitors to the island via the ferries from Portsmouth, so it will be disruptive to separate them by a short bus journey along the pier to Ryde Esplanade, where services will terminate.
The hovercraft service, which operates between Ryde Esplanade and Southsea, will accept tickets from people with reduced mobility.
The line closed in January 2021 for a three-month, £24m upgrade.
Five two-car Class 484 trains from Vivarail were ordered, based on 40-year-old London Underground D-stock. Track was relaid, signals replaced and platforms raised.
A passing loop was created at Brading station to enable a clockface timetable that coincides with ferry sailings from Ryde Pier.
The line eventually reopened in October, ten months later, following a series of delays and setbacks involving both track and trains.
Since then, services have been repeatedly reduced due to a shortage of staff on the island, although on most strike days during the current national dispute, Island Line has been the only part of the network to offer a full service, as RMT members voted against both strike action and action short of a strike.