Floods cause further setback to Island Line revamp progress
IoW system expected to remain closed into the autumn.
FLOODING on the Isle of Wight in early August led to further delays in the completion of a £26m upgrade for the Island Line.
Originally due to have been finished at the end of March, the project – funded by the Department for Transport, Solent Local Enterprise Partnership and Isle of Wight Council – is claimed to be the biggest infrastructure transformation since the line’s electrification in 1967, along with the introduction of a new fleet of five Class 484 electric units to replace the 82-year-old Class 483 sets.
The construction of a new passing loop at Brading (which will create capacity for a regular half-hourly service, providing better connections with ferries to and from the mainland), track improvements to give better ride quality, the raising of platforms for easier access to trains, and installation of new ticket vending machines at Shanklin, Sandown and Ryde St John’s Road are key elements of the programme.
Problems
The final Class 483-operated service ran on January 3 and the system was closed the following day to allow work on the project to begin, with buses providing a replacement service.
On February 12, South Western Railway announced that the closure was expected to last around six weeks longer than first anticipated due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on staff movements and working arrangements, affecting work sites and the supply chain.
Towards the end of April, problems announced with the Class 484 units prompted SWR to further push back the reopening to later in the summer. Rolling stock supplier Vivarail confirmed that testing had uncovered what it described as “some serious issues” with software on the trains. With the first unit No. 484001 having arrived on the island last November, the company said it would work with SWR’s depot engineers to ensure a smooth handover of both it and the rest of the fleet. Mainland testing subsequently continued and No. 484004 was delivered to the island in May.
The most recent setback was caused by flash flooding on August 2. Water rose to 18 inches (46 cm) above track height at Ryde St John’s Road and Shanklin stations. Ryde St John’s depot was also flooded. Ballast washed from under the track left 16 locations on the line in need of urgent attention, requiring around 200 tonnes of ballast from the mainland. Damage was also caused to electrical, signalling and points equipment.
Apology
Before the flooding, SWR had intended to resume services by mid-September. Apologising for the “ongoing uncertainty”, the operator added it was working “incredibly hard” to reopen the line as soon as possible and that the rail replacement bus services would continue in the meantime.
Although it indicated that good progress had been made with the testing of the new trains and infrastructure work was largely complete, it stated that the flooding had added uncertainty and it was trying to establish a timescale for the repairs and “the knock-on impact on testing, training and certification.”
An intensive programme of overnight repairs was launched and some test movements took place the following week.