2. Existing Situation

2.1 Description of former rail route network 

The Island once enjoyed a railway network of approximately 60 route miles until the early 1950's. By 1956 the lightly used lines had closed to leave a system comprising the Ryde-Ventnor and Smallbrook -Newport- Cowes routes. This 26 mile network covered the majority of both the population on the Island and the major holidaymaker movements and it is these routes which form the principal focus for this study.

By winter 1966 only the Ryde - Shanklin route section remained operational, and this was electrified on the 3^rd rail DC system and ex London Underground tube rolling stock replaced steam traction on the line.

The IoW Steam Railway established a presence on the closed Newport line at Havenstreet in the early 1970's and has progressively extended their re-opened route operating with steam traction between Wootton and Smallbrook stations.

2.2 Rail infrastructure on the Island 

The Island Line infrastructure on the Shanklin - Ryde route has been rationalised in several stages since services have been withdrawn from the Ventnor and Newport routes, such that less line capacity exists to accommodate additional or amended service patterns on the existing route resulting from re-opening those closed route sections. The route is predominately single line with a passing loop at Sandown station and a double track section between Smallbrook Junction and Ryde, all controlled from a signal box at Ryde St Johns Road.

The IoW Steam Railway comprises single line with run round loops at Smallbrook and Wootton, and a platform passing loop at Havenstreet together with several sidings. There is currently no through physical connection between the steam railway and Island Line infrastructure. The IoW Steam Railway now own their operational land.

2.3 Former railway trackbed 

The former track bed beyond Wootton to a point just before the former short tunnel in Newport south of the town centre, and from north of Newport town centre to the outskirts of Cowes is largely intact and is mainly in local authority ownership as foot / cyclepath. In Newport town a dual carriageway road and large industrial estate occupy the former rail formation. In Cowes a significant quantity of houses have been constructed on the formation.

South of Shanklin station a bridge has been removed and the formation has become a road to a holiday centre. In Wroxall a light industrial building and the back gardens of houses occupy the formation. At Ventnor the tunnel is in use by the water authority and a light industrial estate occupies the former station site.

Several former level crossings, underbridges and overbridges on the former routes have been removed and the former railway formation re-graded for footpath use.

2.4 Rolling stock 

The existing Island Line vehicles are former London Underground Ltd (LUL) 1938 tube stock, brought over to the Island in 1989/90, converted to operate on the 3^rd rail DC electrification system. Rolling stock is maintained at Ryde St Johns depot. The depot has sufficient capacity to support the fleet size required for route extension. On the IoW Steam Railway locomotives and coaching stock are principally restored examples of equipment withdrawn in the 1960's.

2.5 Passenger services 

The existing service level on the Ryde-Shanklin route provides two trains per hour. Trains are normally of two-car length in Winter and four-car in the Summer months. The Island Line provides important connections with Wightlink ferries.

The IoW Steam Railway operates services at Weekends and this ramps up to a daily service during the summer months of up to approximately a dozen services per day. Connections are advertised with the Island Line at Smallbrook.

Through passengers for Newport and Cowes from Ryde Pier can travel via Island Line on the pier interchanging at Ryde Esplanade onto Southern Vectis bus services, where frequency and connections are relatively good, although interchange passenger facilities are rather poor.

For Ventnor connections at Shanklin are currently poor. Although Southern Vectis services operate two buses per hour they do not serve the station forecourt or approach road at Shanklin.

Island Line offers significantly faster journey times than bus services on the Ryde - Shanklin route, and importantly provides direct access to Ryde Pier Head. The former train services also offered significantly faster journey times than the current bus service for Ryde - Newport and Ryde - Ventnor journeys.

2.6 Markets and passenger demand 

Overall 2% of residents using transport to travel to work on the Island use the Island Line railway, compared with 7% by bus (based on 1991 Census information).

The Ryde - Shanklin Island Line is used primarily by a mix of commuters both within the Island, and importantly across to Portsmouth by ferry, and to a limited extent beyond to London; by residents for leisure journeys, and for holiday makers and day tourists for trips from the mainland, notably the London conurbation, and thence within the Island on holiday.

Nearly half of Island Line passengers use the existing line to connect with the ferry via Pier Head.