Franchise holder for the Isle of Wight's Island Line trains insists there is no scheduled return to a half hourly service, despite paperwork being shared online that appears to show an imminent change.
On social media, it is being claimed that a document shows the service will resume a half-hourly service from December 12.
However, South Western Railway has told the County Press today (Friday) that no date has been set for scaling up the timetable, or moving to more frequent trains.
It said, "As things stand at the moment, one train per hour is amply meeting demand."
Scroll down for video...
Island Line has been running an hourly service since its £26 million overhaul and nine month closure ended on November 1 and told us, earlier this month, that half hourly trains would not run until the spring.
Watch (below) as the first new passenger train arrived at Ryde Pier Head on November 1:
The first passenger service train to arrive into Ryde Pier Head this morning since January, Island Line is now back running after there upgrade works 🚊 @WightlinkTravel @wightlinkferry @iwightradio @iwcponline @islandecho @onthewight @SW_Help pic.twitter.com/2soPuuqUbC
— Photography Rue (@PhotographyRue) November 1, 2021
Read more:
- Island Line train line reopens after ten months of work
- VIDEO First Island Line train arrives at Ryde Pier Head
- £26m for one train an hour: can't Island Line do better?
Island Line closed to passengers in January and a number of deadlines passed before it finally started running again, on the route between Ryde and Shanklin.
While its return on November 1 was widely welcomed, operator South Western Railway's decision to run only one train per hour has drawn criticism.
Among those who spoke to the County Press was a mum who had been using SWR's more frequent rail replacement buses to transport her children to school.
When the trains came back, the buses were withdrawn and her children found themselves stranded, because the one train per hour that was running did not match school start and finish times.
Taa daa pic.twitter.com/ZPcST27TIc
— Azuma (@CHG3899) November 12, 2021
Other parents were able to use alternative replacement buses, meanwhile, but only if they attended specific Island schools.
Road-based services have been running from Sandown's The Bay CE to Ryde, but only at the end of the school day.
Other passengers also told the County Press of their disappointment and called on the franchise holder to do better.
When we first reported the story, South Western Railway said: "A key benefit of the upgrade programme has been the installation of a new passing loop at Brading, which will enable us to offer our customers the choice of two trains per hour and we are progressing plans to increase frequency as demand comes back in the spring."
It said an hourly operation was a deliberate move, at a time when passenger numbers are traditionally lower.
Read more:
- Island Line 's hourly return means school run problem
- PHOTOS KILF members were first passengers on Island Line return
House Rules
We do not moderate comments, but we expect readers to adhere to certain rules in the interests of open and accountable debate.
Last Updated:
Report this comment Cancel