News shared by Emily Brothers, in her own words. Ed
Emily Brothers, Labour’s Parliamentary Candidate for Isle of Wight East, has criticised the Conservatives’ broken promise to introduce a half hourly service on the 8.5 mile Island Line between Ryde Pier and Shanklin.
She said,
“The Tories’ fanfare in 2019 about investing £26 million with refurbished rolling stock from London’s District Line together with track upgrades has come off the rails, resulting in less frequent and unreliable trains.
“The trains will need to be replaced within seven years because the wheel rail interface was not included in the scope of previous works. The Tory response is to send people foraging around scrap metal yards to salvage their damaged reputation.
“Spending £1 million improving accessibility at Brading Station has proven futile without an effective passing loop which was designed to facilitate a half hourly service.”
Improvements promised
A modern, reliable Island Line was promised in October 2019 by the Conservatives. The former Rail Minister, Chris Heaton-Harris, promised ‘more punctual, reliable trains and better connections to ferry services’ and Dave Stewart, former Council Leader, promised ‘improvement and track upgrades, including a passing loop at Brading, enabling the synchronisation of services with the ferries.’
Bob Seely MP promised that ‘the benefits are delivered in a timely manner, with minimal disruption’, which then followed with an extended period of closure in 2021 and the prospect of the line being closed on Ryde Pier from this Autumn until Easter 2025.
Brothers: Passengers putting up with infrequent and often cancelled trains
A regular user of local trains, Labour’s Emily Brothers said,
“We were promised half hourly services and even the possibility of trains every 20 minutes after the 2021 upgrade of Island Line, yet passengers are having to put up with infrequent and often cancelled trains. Only last week, I waited with other passengers at Sandown Station for a train that never turned up and no announcement was made. This is another example of Tory mismanagement, and it isn’t how Labour will run the railways.”
She went on to say,
“The new 40 minute intervals are only temporary over the summer period. This sticking plaster approach falls short of what passengers deserve. This is an example of another Conservative failure to link the towns of the East Wight and ensure mainland connectivity.
“In some cases, passengers will now wait 47 minutes for their connection at Ryde Pier Head, which is unacceptable. On the other hand, passengers leaving the Hovercraft to catch a train from Ryde Esplanade often witness their next service leaving as they cross the bridge. It means passengers with luggage, disabled and older people are regularly left behind. It is woeful.”
Brothers: I will seek to find a more effective, sustainable solution
Emily added,
“The Tories have hit the buffers on the Island Line. So, we need a rethink and as Labour MP for Isle of Wight East, I will seek to find a more effective, sustainable solution. We need to get our island moving and that certainly isn’t happening under this Tory chaos and mismanagement. We need to look at new solutions, not refurbished ideas, including exploring Very Light Rail or trams, such as the services that currently operate in Dudley and Manchester. The Island Line could be a testbed for running sustainable public transport powered by fast charging solar batteries.
“I can’t guarantee funding because the Tories have crashed the economy and Labour will be fiscally responsible. As your MP though, I will press for a step change in the Island’s public transport system, including developing the business case for modern sustainable Very Light Rail services.”
Brothers: Publicly owned railway will be single-mindedly focused on delivering for passengers
She concluded,
“Whilst the Conservatives are content to let Britain’s broken railways fail passengers, Labour will deliver root and branch reform. With our bold reforms, a publicly owned railway will be single-mindedly focused on delivering for passengers and will be held to account on delivering reliable, safe, efficient, accessible, affordable and quality services. This will include the Island Line.
“Labour’s detailed plans will get our railways back on track; driving up standards for passengers; bringing down costs for the Island’s taxpayers; driving growth and getting Britain moving.”
Emily Brothers explained that during its first term, a Labour Government would:
- Put the passenger first, by delivering a best-price ticket guarantee and rolling out automatic delay repay and digital season tickets across the network;
- Establish a powerful new watchdog, the Passenger Standards Authority, to hold Great British Railways to account;
- Deliver significant savings to the taxpayer by eliminating fragmentation, waste, bureaucracy and by stopping profits leaking out to private operators.
- Create a unified, publicly owned, accountable and arm’s length Great British Railways, which will be led by rail experts, not Whitehall.
- Expect to complete the transition to public ownership within the first term of a Labour Government, by folding existing private passenger rail contracts into the new body as they expire, without the taxpayer paying a penny in compensation costs. This will bring Island Line into public ownership and make it more accountable, so we can get our local service back on track.
