The heavy rainfall on the Island earlier this week caused flash flooding in many areas, with the running water having a significant impact on several areas of the Island Line track.
A spokesperson for Island Line Trains told News OnTheWight,
“Our depot at Ryde St John’s was also flooded. As a result, we have 16 sites on the Island in need of urgent attention, requiring 200 tonnes of ballast from the mainland.”
Night work to rectify damage
On Wednesday evening, the Island Line maintenance team began carrying out repair works to the track infrastructure.
The team will be working throughout the night for at least five nights to rectify the damage done by the water and we’d like to apologise for the disturbance this work will cause to those living close to the railway.
Good progress being made
In terms of the upgrade project itself, good progress has been made with the testing of the trains and the infrastructure works are largely complete with only snagging items to deal with.
A spokesperson for Island Line Trains told News OnTheWight,
“We have also re-opened Pig Leg crossing which was temporarily closed to carry out safety improvements as part of the upgrade project.
“We had been aiming to reopen the Island Line in the first half of next month, but the impact of the flooding has added uncertainty to our programme as we establish both the time it will take to fix the infrastructure and the knock on impact on testing, training and certification.
“We are sorry for the ongoing uncertainty for our customers and the communities we serve, and are working incredibly hard to reopen the Island Line as soon as possible.”
The spokesperson went on to say,
“We are as disappointed as our customers by how long it has taken to reopen the line and apologise for the impact this delay has had on the Island. We continue to run the rail replacement bus service and stand ready to increase capacity if demand requires.”
Image: © Todd Batchelor
