This in from Island Line Trains, in their own words. Ed
Due to a landslip caused by heavy rain in the Sandown area, on the Isle of Wight, Island Line Train services have been suspended this afternoon (Friday 7 February).
Heavy rainfall in an area not previously affected during the Christmas storms, caused a landslip in the Sandown area last Sunday 2nd February 2014. The slip has been continuously monitored and whilst this only temporarily stopped trains from running at the time, the slip has continued to move and is now within a metre of the track.
Assessing the situation
Specialist engineers are assessing the situation this weekend to determine the time it will take to repair.
Because of this, the following changes will apply until further notice:
- A replacement coach service service will operate leaving Shanklin at 38 minutes past the hour and Ryde Esplanade at 50 minutes past the hour.
- A shuttle taxi service is replacing trains between Ryde Esplanade and Ryde Pier Head as trains are not able to run along the pier due to storm damage.
In additional valid rail tickets will also be accepted on Southern Vectis bus routes 2 and 3 between Shanklin and Ryde and return.
Coach stops
Coaches are unable to serve some stations because of limited road access and will call as follows:
Ryde Esplanade – Bus Station
Ryde St Johns Road – Station Car Park
Brading – Bullring (towards Ryde) and Wheatsheaf Pub (towards Shanklin)
Sandown – The Broadway bus stops, by junction with Station Avenue
Lake – Monument bus stops, both sides of the road
Shanklin – Station Car Park
A spokesperson for the Island Line said:
“We apologise to our passengers for the disruption to their services. The safety of our passengers and staff is always our number one priority and for this reason we have to suspend the service whilst we assess and repair the damage.
“Bus replacement services are in place to make sure people can travel to their destinations. Our engineers are working hard to fix the problem.
“The work carried out in January to repair the damage caused near Smallbrook Junction has remained intact and has stood up well against this current bad weather.
“We are providing updates for our passengers through our website and our Twitter feed and our staff are providing information and assisting passengers at our stations.”
Image: © Island Line Trains
