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Railway tracks don’t typically float – they usually go via a bridge, or below water like the Channel Tunnel. However, one 200-year-old British train line defies the laws of gravity, and sits on top of the water. The Island Line railway on the Isle of Wight has been closed for six months, but has just announced it will reopen in time for summer.
The line ferries passengers between the Ryde Pier esplanade and Ryde Pier Head. Built in 1814, it’s Britain’s oldest pier, with most of its original structure still standing today. Measuring in at 1,740 feet, Ryde Pier is the second-longest seaside pier in the country, second after Southend. It was extended to 2,040 feet in 1824, making it a one-of-a-kind structure in Britain.
Part of the line, between Ryde and Shanklin, has been closed since September 2024 to give the railway a ‘new lease of life’. Vital engineering works were carried out that would ‘preserve the historic pier for many years to come,’ said Mark Dunn, the line’s general manager. It will also make the train track more resilient to extreme weather.
The floating train that travels along the half-a-mile-long Solent strait will reopen on Friday, May 2.
Ahead of the big day, the entire line from Shanklin to Ryde Pier Head will be shut for six days from Saturday 26 April for engineers to to the final touch ups.
George Murrell, from Network Rail Wessex, said: ‘We're now on the home stretch of this work and while I know it will be disappointing, we will need to close the line for the week preceding the resumption of services to finish the final pieces of work.
‘I'd like to again thank passengers, residents and businesses for their patience and understanding while we've undertaken this programme of critical repairs and upgrades.’
The UK’s longest direct train route is being cancelled.
However, a brand-new train route will soon connect two of the UK’s most popular beach towns.
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