South Western Railway has announced that it will temporarily alter its Island Line timetable until the autumn.
The operator will increase the frequency of trains, running one every 40 minutes from 2nd June, compared to the current schedule of one train per hour.
The Island Line has been operating at half its scheduled capacity since the beginning of the year.
Typically, the journey between Ryde and Shanklin should feature two trains running in both directions every hour.
Island Line’s general manager, Mark Dunn, acknowledged the issues, stating,
“We recognise the Island Line’s overall performance has not been at the levels our customers expect.”
He emphasised their commitment to reliability, adding,
“We want to do all we can to make our services as reliable as possible.”
Challenges with Class 484 Trains
Island Line operates five two-carriage Class 484 trains, which were repurposed from former London Underground vehicles and purchased from Vivarail, a company that went bankrupt in 2022.
In February 2023, a decision was made to run only one of the five trains at any given time. This was due to extensive damage suffered by two trains during flooding and excessive wheel wear affecting the remaining three.
Customer expectations and future plans
Previously, customers were informed that the Island Line would return to its standard two-trains-per-hour service in the summer.
Mr Dunn reiterated their dedication to customer feedback, stating,
“We have listened carefully to feedback from our customers and stakeholders and, while we still aim to deliver a two train per hour timetable, we want to do all we can to make our services as reliable as possible, especially for the holiday seasons.”
Mainland schedule adjustments
In addition to the changes on the Island Line, South Western Railway has confirmed that the mainland schedule will also be adjusted from 2nd June 2024.
Source: BBC Hampshire and Isle of Wight
