PLANS have been unveiled for the new look Ryde Esplanade train station.

As part of the major work currently taking place to improve the Ryde Interchange, proposals have been put forward by the Isle of Wight Council for the railway station at the bottom of the pier.

Work will connect the new tramway pier, which is being reinstated by Wightlink for cyclists and pedestrians, with the main transport hub on the Esplanade.

All the projects, including the reconfiguration of the bus station and highways, new public toilets and office switches, are part of a £10 million scheme, to increase connectivity in the Solent region.

Isle of Wight County Press: The proposals for Ryde Esplanade train station. Picture by ERMC.The proposals for Ryde Esplanade train station. Picture by ERMC.

To connect the pedestrian routes, the existing South Western Railway ticket office and Southern Vectis hub will be relocated into the currently redundant buildings at the western end of the station.

Planning agents ERMC say while the need to replace more of the station could be easily justified, the funding is not available and the dilapidation of existing buildings dictates a more architecturally restrained approach.

The current building, it says, however, lacks coherence and has resulted in a complicated mix.

Isle of Wight County Press: The current (left) and proposed (right) layout of the Ryde Esplanade train station. Pictures by ERMC.The current (left) and proposed (right) layout of the Ryde Esplanade train station. Pictures by ERMC.

The railway station has seen a number of changes since it was first built in 1864 for a horse-drawn tram service between the seafront and the pier head.

Modernisation works, turning the building into what we know today, took place in the 1970s, and included the construction of the present bus station.

Isle of Wight County Press: The proposals for Ryde Esplanade train station. Picture by ERMC.The proposals for Ryde Esplanade train station. Picture by ERMC.

Provisions have been included in the plans to see the currently closed public toilets refurbished and the cafe extended.

The nearby Ryde Pier Cafe and public toilets were demolished to make way for the highways improvement.

Another shop is also included in the plans.

Isle of Wight County Press:

  • You can view the plans HERE.
  • Comments can be submitted until August 12.

Isle of Wight County Press: The proposals for Ryde Esplanade train station. Picture by ERMC.The proposals for Ryde Esplanade train station. Picture by ERMC.

Highway works have now moved onto phase two but are not expected to interfere with events around the town like the scooter rally or Tour of Britain.

The Ryde Interchange projects all have to be completed by 2023.