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An island known for its beaches is set to reopen the UK’s only floating railway station in the coming weeks.
The Isle of Wight might be best known for its beaches, the seaside vibe, festivals and fossils – but it is also home to a floating railway, the Island Line.
It can make visitors feel like they are somewhere balmier than in the grey UK as they travel the half-a-mile-long line on the Solent strait between Ryder Pier Head and the esplanade.
But the sea railway line between the esplanade and the pier head has been closed since September to give it a new lease of life.
The clean coastal waters off the Isle of Wight coast surround the Ryde Pier Head (Picture: Historic England Archive/Getty)
Engineers have been carrying out maintenance and refurbishment works to make the pier and railway line ‘more resilient to extreme weather,’ Network Rail said.
The line is getting ready to reopen within weeks before the peak tourism season, but some final works are needed before that.
From Ryde Pier Head, travellers can catch a ferry to Portsmouth Harbour and travel onwards to London and other UK cities.
How the UK’s only floating railway was created
The first pier was created because ships struggled to get to Ryde in low tide.
It was the brainchild of merchants who realised in 1812 that Ryde could have a long pier, and two years later, the 1,740ft pier was already ready for action.
The stretch of railway between the Ryde esplanade and Pier Head (Picture: Network Rail)
In 1824, it was extended to 2,040 feet, making it a one-of-a-kind structure in Britain.
Victorian city dwellers flocked to the beach resort and Ryde grew in popularity. As impressive as the long pier was, its length and popularity as a disembarking point for steam ships meant it needed a way to transport weary passengers.
The first transport on the pier was a horse-powered tram before the emergence of diesel engines in the 1950s.
Now, visitors can walk, drive or take the train to the pier head.
Previously, drivers were charged a fee towards the upkeep of repairs at the pier, the National Piers Society said. However, the toll was scrapped and instead the maintenance costs are now absorbed in ferry tickets.
When will the island line reopen?
The entire line will close between Shanklin and Ryde Pier Head on Saturday, April 26, so that engineers can build a new under-track crossing for cables, remove buffer stops, do signal testing and train driver training.
After this, the Island Line will fully reopen on May 2 in time for the spring bank holiday.
(Picture: Network Rail)
George Murrell, Network Rail Wessex’s route renewals director, said the team is ‘delighted that we’re going to be able to fully reopen the Island Line early and in time for the May Bank Holiday, which we know is a busy and important time for the Island’s tourism industry.’
He said that while it will be ‘disappointing’ to close the line for a week, the upgrades and repairs are ‘critical.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
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