To mark the resumption of full Island Line services on the Isle of Wight on Friday, 2nd May, Network Rail, South Western Railway, and partners from across the rail industry celebrated the rich history of the island’s railways.

For the last eight months, the line between Ryde Esplanade and Ryde Pier Head had been closed while engineers carried out extensive works to extend the pier’s life for another 60 years.

Work to renovate the pier used innovative recycling methods, including repurposing materials removed from the pier for use by the Isle of Wight Steam Railway on its line between Smallbrook Junction and Wootton.

To commemorate the cooperation with Network Rail, the Isle of Wight Steam Railway organised a special train ride for colleagues from the rail industry to showcase recycled parts from the pier installed on its line.

A visit was also arranged for a tour of the railway’s base of operations at Havenstreet and a museum that tells the history of railways on the island.

George Murrell, Wessex route renewals director, commented that Network Rail was thrilled to work with the Isle of Wight Steam Railway and support its operations by upcycling parts of our railway infrastructure, and look forward to continuing our partnership for years to come.

Railways opened on the Isle of Wight in 1875, with passenger services between Ryde, Newport, and Cowes, running for 91 years until the line closed in 1966.

The line between Ryde and Shanklin remained open and is now known as the Island Line. It was temporarily closed for electrification works after the last steam service ran on 31st December 1966.

After the line between Ryde, Newport, and Cowes closed in 1966, a group of rail enthusiasts formed the Wight Locomotive Society and raised sufficient funds to preserve one of the Island’s last steam locomotives and 1½ miles of track between Wootton and Havenstreet.

The line was later extended towards Ryde, and reached Smallbrook Junction in 1991, where passengers can now transfer between the steam railway and Island Line services.

To improve services on the Island Line, South Western Railway has introduced a 40-minute timetable that allows for flexibility, with the service being held at Ryde Pier Head to wait for passengers arriving by ferry but still able to meet its scheduled departure time from Shanklin on its return journey. It is also hoped that the Island Line will be further integrated with the ferries, hovercraft, and local bus services to help bring businesses and communities on the island closer together.

“We were thankfully able to extend to Smallbrook Junction in 1991, starting a long relationship with Network Rail and South Western Railway. The relationship we have has developed over that period of time. As the world changes we’ve worked together in collaborative ways to make sure that we serve each other’s best interests, which includes such things as generous track donations which helps with our cash flow situation and we’d like to continue to grow that partnership.”

Tim Spencer-Peet, Deputy general manager of the Isle of Wight Steam Railway