Railway partially reopens after month closure

A railway line has partially reopened after a month-long closure.

The 8.5-mile (13.7km) Island Line on the Isle of Wight has started running services every 30 minutes between Ryde Esplanade and Shanklin.

It comes after "a wide range of important maintenance work" was concluded, according to Network Rail.

Ryde Pier remains closed for restoration work until May 2025 and a replacement bus service is in place between Ryde Pier Head and Ryde Esplanade.

South Western Railway (SWR) passengers will see a new 110m track through Ryde Esplanade station.

Network Rail confirmed it had installed composite sleepers which were more resilient to the coastal environment and should last for at least 60 years.

Among the other works, there were also bridge repairs and renovations at Sandown and Brading stations.

Neil Drury, SWR engineering and infrastructure director, said he was "delighted" this phase of work had been completed and he thanked passengers for their patience.

He said: “All of our focus now turns to continuing life extension work to the Ryde Pier structure which presents a unique and challenging working environment for our engineers.

"We recognise closing this stretch of track between Ryde Pierhead and Ryde Esplanade will be disruptive to passengers, however, continuing this work is imperative for the continued safe and reliable running of Island Line services."

You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.