Island Line

An Island LineClass 484 atShanklin
Overview
Franchises	Island Line 13 October 1996 – 3 February 2007 Part ofSouth Western franchise 4 February 2007 – 24 May 2025
Main area	Isle of Wight
Fleet	5
Stations called at	8
Parent company	South Western Railway
Reporting mark	IL
Other
Website	www.southwesternrailway.com/destinations-and-offers/island-line

Island Line is a brand ofSouth Western Railway which runs the 8.5-mile (13.7 km)Island Line on theIsle of Wight. A stand-alone franchise from 1996 until 2007, it then became part of theSouth Western franchise operated bySouth West Trains until August 2017, and bySouth Western Railway (First/MTR) from 2017 to 2025. Since 25 May 2025, it is operated by government-ownedSouth Western Railway.

From 1985 to 1990 rail services on the Isle of Wight operated under thebrandRydeRail. In 1986Network SouthEast was created, itself part ofBritish Rail, and RydeRail was incorporated into it as a sub-brand.

The nameIsland Line first came into use in 1989, whenClass 483 trains were introduced on the route, and this new brand name and a logo were included on the trains' livery. However, this re-branding did not officially occur until 1994,^[1] when it had completely replaced allRydeRail branding.

From 1989 until 1996, Island Line was a sub-brand ofNetwork SouthEast. In 1996, services on the line wereprivatised as the Island Linefranchise, with the winning bid fromStagecoach (legal name Island Line Limited^[2]). On commencing operations on 13 October 1996, the nameIsland Line for the passenger service was retained.

Island Line was the only passenger franchise that included maintenance of the infrastructure in addition to the running of passenger services.Network Rail and its predecessors have continued to own the infrastructure, but lease this out to the operator who is therefore responsible for everyday maintenance of the track^[3] and immediate foundations.

While trains have never servedVentnor at any time since the Island Line brand was brought in, several attempts have been made to encourage use of the train to reach the former terminus. A dedicated rail-linkfeeder bus was introduced in 2004, operating on a direct route between Shanklin and Ventnor, but this was withdrawn in September 2010 after decisions by theIsle of Wight Council about the funding ofWightbus.^[4] However, connections and through ticketing have since been provided on the regular bus service, which was slightly diverted to serve the main station entrance.^[5] These arrangements continue to be advertised in the rail timetable.^[6]

The Island Line franchise was, until February 2007, the smallest train operating company on theNational Rail network. It was combined with theSouth West Trains franchise to form the newSouth Western franchise in an effort to reduce the number oftrain operating companies.^[7]

AlthoughSouth West Trains operated the line thereafter, theIsland Line branding was retained.^[8] Island Line Trains repainted all their stations in a heritage cream and green colour scheme, as part of a general station improvement package.^[9]

In March 2017, the DfT awarded the franchise to aFirstGroup /MTR consortium withSouth Western Railway, which includes the Island Line, commencing on 20 August 2017. It will run until at least August 2024 with an option for the DfT to extend for a further year.^[10][11] South Western Railway will be working with the local council and bodies with regards to replacing the rolling stock, upgrading the infrastructure and adding an additional passing loop to introduce a 30-minute service to improve connection times with theRyde toPortsmouth ferry service and the hovercraft.^[12][13][14] These expected changes were received favourably by the Keep Island Line in Franchise (KILF) group,^[15] who have been campaigning for improvements to the line for several years.

This section needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(November 2021)

Standard National Rail vehicle types cannot be used on the Island Line, due to the low ceiling within Ryde Tunnel,^[16] where the track-bed needed to be raised following flooding.^[17] Instead, services are operated usingClass 484 units, which are refurbished ex-London Undergroundtube trains originally built in 1978. These recently replaced the olderClass 483 which in turn had replaced theClass 485 units, which dated from 1923 and were introduced to the island in 1967 when the line was electrified. The Class 483 trains entered service on the island in 1989, originally painted in the standardNetwork SouthEast livery, and were replaced by the Class 484 trains in regular passenger service during 2021.

South West Trains bought the stock outright from the leasing companyHSBC Rail in March 2007 for the nominal sum of £1.^[18] The purchase meant that the leasing costs, which were reimbursed by the government, were eliminated, thereby lowering the line's tax burden.

The rolling stock operate in the formerLondon Regional Transport livery, which the units would have had when operating on the London Underground. Two units first received this livery in 2000, when the rest were painted in a blue livery with pictures of dinosaurs aiming to entice tourists in the summer months when passenger numbers are high. A modern change is that there are yellow warning panels on the front ends of the units, required for the safety of track workers and a change compared with the original red. The livery was introduced as part of a refurbishment completed between 2007 and 2008,^[19] which also included work at all stations. Rolling stock also received the same seat moquette that theLondon Underground A60 and A62 Stock received during their refurbishment between 1993 and 1998, and interior route maps in green. Stations also received new tarmac platforms, green and cream painted seating, new waiting shelters and 'heritage' style station name boards.^[20]

In September 2019,South Western Railway announced the Class 483s would be replaced by five two-carClass 484s in 2020.^[21] The first Class 484 unit, 484001, arrived on theIsle of Wight on 19 November 2020.^[22] The final unit, 484005, was delivered on 16 February 2022 and was moved toRyde Traincare Depot on 28 February of the same year.^[23]

Class	Image	Type	Top speed		Number	Routes operated	Built	Notes
			mph	km/h
Class 484		Electric multiple unit	45	72.5	5	Island Line	1978–1981 (asD78 stock) 2019–2020 (rebuilt)	Entered service on 1 November 2021

Class	Image	Top Speed	Time in service	Number
Classes 485 and 486		45 mph	1966–1992	12
Class 483		45 mph	1989–2021	10

v t e Island Line, Isle of Wight
Legend
mi-ch ferries toPortsmouth 0-00 Ryde Pier Head Ryde Pier 0-32 Ryde Esplanade Hovercraft toSouthsea tunnel underRyde 396 yd 362 m B3330 St John's Road 1-19 Ryde St John's Road Ryde depot 2-17 Smallbrook Junction Isle of Wight Steam Railway toHavenstreet &Wootton A3055 toBembridge 4-55 Brading Sandown Road A3055 toNewport andCowes Sandown sidings 6-42 Sandown A3055 7-24 Lake A3055 8-29 Shanklin closed 1966 Wroxall tunnel under St Boniface Down Ventnor

The railway has eight stations:

• Ryde Pier Head
• Ryde Esplanade
• Ryde St John's Road
• Smallbrook Junction
• Brading
• Sandown
• Lake
• Shanklin

Wikimedia Commons has media related toIsland Line (brand).

• Official website

• FirstGroup railway companies
• MTR Corporation
• Rail transport on the Isle of Wight
• Former Stagecoach Group rail services
• Train operating companies in the United Kingdom

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