More Isle of Wight delays
THE ISLAND Line on the Isle of Wight did not reopen as planned on May 17, having already been put back from March, and the best that can be offered is ‘this summer’, according to South Western Railway. Among the main issues is the software used on the Vivarail Class 484 units that have been converted from former London Underground D78 stock. Two of the EMUs are now on the island after 48404 arrived on May 18. This followed testing on the mainland, which had been delayed due to those software issues. As a result, bus replacement services are continuing.
Vivarail CEO Adrian Shooter said: “We have had unforeseen difficulties with the software. Although in essence it is no different to the version we have used previously, it needed some changes to enable the train to run on the third rail. Planning and analysis began more than 18 months ago and did not bring any problems to light, but the live tests have uncovered some serious issues. Our priority is to deliver safe and reliable trains, so I have instructed my team to undertake a thorough review rather than try to patch the software.”
He continued: “We know that this is the second delay to the introduction of the new service and acknowledge that SWR is on schedule with its infrastructure upgrades. As a company we take full responsibility and offer our apologies to the passengers and staff of the Island Line. It would be easy to hide behind COVID-19 and point the finger at the pandemic, but we have, in fact, managed to claw back a lot of that lost time and have brought the build back on schedule, and all trains have now left our factory.
“Although this is a difficult time, I would like to acknowledge the help that we have had from our friends in the railway family. Bombardier allowed us to use its test track at Derby, Arriva let us use its depot at Eastleigh and Network Rail could not have been more helpful. Above all, the support from SWR has been invaluable. Its team of engineers and project manager have given us help and guidance throughout and it is testament to their professionalism that we still have a robust testing, delivery and training programme in place.”
Alex Foulds, Major Projects Director at SWR, added: “Our infrastructure works are largely on track, but there is a delay to the delivery of the trains and we apologise for the impact that will have on our customers.”
The infrastructure work includes track renewals, power supply upgrades, the installation of new electrical and signalling cables and the adding of a passing loop at Brading to enable a more balanced service pattern. New ticket machines have also been installed at three stations and WiFi at all seven, while accessibility work has been undertaken to reduce the step between the platforms and the new trains. Ryde St Johns depot has also been modernised and has received a new crane.