Island Line upgrade has £1m funding gap

INFRASTRUCTURE modifications on the Isle of Wight for the introduction of Vivarail’s

Class 484 trains has left Network Rail with a £1million gap in its funding.

It has emerged the track at Brading will need to be lowered by 500mm for the new trains, but this will cost an estimated £1million.

Under the infrastructure lease, the franchisee (South Western Railway) has responsibility to maintain the track and ballast to a depth of 300mm, but below this, Network Rail has to fund any work.

The funding bombshell was relayed to the Isle of Wight Bus and Rail User Group on January 18 by South Western Railway’s Island Line programme manager Andrew Mundy.

He said Vivarail trains require the platforms at Ryde St Johns to be lowered, while Ryde Pier, Esplanade and Smallbrook

Jct have to be raised to meet accessibility legislation.

Once platform heights have been altered, the 1938 Class 483 stock must be immediately withdrawn because of non-compliant stepping distance.

Track lowering is required for the foot-crossing at the Shanklin end of the Brading platforms to meet associated safety regulations applicable when a single line is doubled across a crossing. The new platform face will also become the accessible route off the station, meaning the crossing has to be compliant for disabled users.

‘Unbudgeted’

“Currently this work is unfunded and unbudgeted and subject to discussion, but funds might be brought forward from later in CP6,” Mr Mundy said.

Funded work by NR includes upgrading the power supply near Brading, installing new conductor rail, and replacing the 98lb/yard rail with 113lb/yard rail, with the whole line tamped. TPWS (Train Protection & Warning System) will be introduced between Ryde St Johns Road and Sandown.

Mr Mundy told the audience all of this work requires two major blockades, eight weeks between Smallbrook and Shanklin and four weeks between Ryde Pierhead and Ryde St Johns

Road. These are scheduled for the autumn and winter, with completion by the end of this year.

A further surprise from Mr Mundy was the suggestion of operating engineering trains over a new connection at Smallbrook Junction to and from the Isle of Wight Steam Railway’s Havenstreet headquarters. This is because of road congestion and a lack of siding space elsewhere. Initial discussions have been held with the heritage line.

The new Class 484 trains will arrive by road from late May and be delivered to the short engineers siding at Sandown.

As one train arrives, one of the 1938 sets will be withdrawn, possibly taken to Havenstreet and into preservation.

Vivarail will test its trains at night, with the sets needing to cover 750 miles fault-free operation before entering traffic.

A new 30-minute timetable will be introduced in May 2021.