Isle of Wight Railway

[whole diary]

[grahame]

By contrast I had a trip on the Isle of Wight Ryde to Shanklin service this summer. You'd be hard pressed to find ride quality that bad on most preserved lines ! I'd be amazed if it isn't getting close to safety limits. Through the platforms (and I assume elsewhere ?) it seems to be old bull head rail with shingle ballast. It feels like there is plenty of track twist causing the stock to continually roll. The line speed is around 50 mph ! It felt so bad in places I decided to sit at the back of the second coach.... There is absolutely no way that we would tolerate ride quality that bad on our heritage line. Ironically most of our track is more modern and built to a far higher standard.

The Isle of Wight is something of an oddball in the new SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) franchise;  last night's presentation by SWR was all about "all of our trains" ... but there was in most categories an exception made for the IOW units.  Not fitting WiFi, power points, accessible toilets, passenger counters at door on a third of units.  Didn't see an "except 483" in the fitting of track monitoring equipment to 40% of units, but I would be surprised.  I don't think there's a coherent / widely shared view as to where and how the line will carry on into the future; I sensed a positiveness that the longer term should be thought about at the presentation, a diary comment that told us that time is being put into considering the IoW at the very top of SWR, but little in the way of a clear plan ahead being in place.

Probably worth splitting this off / separate IOW thread under South Western Railways?

[SandTEngineer]

By contrast I had a trip on the Isle of Wight Ryde to Shanklin service this summer. You'd be hard pressed to find ride quality that bad on most preserved lines ! I'd be amazed if it isn't getting close to safety limits. Through the platforms (and I assume elsewhere ?) it seems to be old bull head rail with shingle ballast.

Welcome to the forum.

If I remember correctly the IOW 'ballast' has always been shingle as it would be logistically impossible to 'import' the amount of ballast required.  In my view Bullhead rail is entirely acceptable for such an isolated railway system, but then I am an S&T^▸ (Signalling and Telegraph) Engineer by trade and not a PWay Engineer...

[Chris from Nailsea]

Probably worth splitting this off / separate IOW thread under South Western Railways?

Now done. 

[Chris125]

I don't think there's a coherent / widely shared view as to where and how the line will carry on into the future; I sensed a positiveness that the longer term should be thought about at the presentation, a diary comment that told us that time is being put into considering the IoW at the very top of SWR^» (South Western Railway - about), but little in the way of a clear plan ahead being in place.

There should be a clear plan very soon - SWR will soon consult on their proposals so they can deliver a costed plan to the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) early next year - 'more modern' replacement rolling stock and a new loop around Brading to allow a 30min interval service (instead of 20/40 mins at present) are both expected to feature.

http://www.islandecho.co.uk/first-mtr-south-western-to-take-over-island-line/

[johnneyw]

Lots and lots of stock corporate PR^▸ (Public Relations) quotes in the article. Not unlike the short of guff issued about keeping the Cadburys factory open in Keynsham to help ease the takeover bid through. Outcome; factory closed and sold for flats a few months post takeover. I'm not optimistic.

[Electric train]

The IoW railway is a vertically integrated railway  this means in normal speak NR^» (Network Rail - home page) technically own the infrastructure but are not required to fun its maintenance and renewal SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) are responsible for all the assets, although the electrical power is controlled by Eastleigh ECR not sure about signalling.  NR do audits from time to time.

The problem with the line it only makes money for a few weeks of the year

[Chris125]

The IoW railway is a vertically integrated railway  this means in normal speak NR^» (Network Rail - home page) technically own the infrastructure but are not required to fun its maintenance and renewal SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) are responsible for all the assets, although the electrical power is controlled by Eastleigh ECR not sure about signalling.  NR do audits from time to time.

The problem with the line it only makes money for a few weeks of the year

As I understand it, under the lease the operator is responsible for day to day maintenance but Network Rail remains in charge of renewals and major works.

[Chris from Nailsea]

As I understand it ... Network Rail remains in charge of renewals and major works.

Oh, sh ... urely not. 

[Electric train]

The IoW railway is a vertically integrated railway  this means in normal speak NR^» (Network Rail - home page) technically own the infrastructure but are not required to fun its maintenance and renewal SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) are responsible for all the assets, although the electrical power is controlled by Eastleigh ECR not sure about signalling.  NR do audits from time to time.

The problem with the line it only makes money for a few weeks of the year

As I understand it, under the lease the operator is responsible for day to day maintenance but Network Rail remains in charge of renewals and major works.

I am not to sure about the major / renewals funding, the lease operator is supposed   to had back the asset in the same condition as they took it over

[Chris125]

Details of South Western Railway's plans they'll submit to the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) are now emerging in the IW County Press and KILF

- New timetable, with a loop at Brading allowing a 30min service
- Fully refurbished rolling stock of a larger profile, allowing guards to move between carriages (Almost certainly Vivarail's ex-District Line stock)
- Onboard wifi and charging ports, information boards and new CCTV^▸ (Closed Circuit Tele-Vision)
- A new platform layout at Ryde Interchange, allowing improved access for Hovertravel passengers
- Track upgrade
- A structural survey of Ryde Pier shows the supporting steelwork to be sound, but decking and track require replacement which is the recommended option

This will be put to the DfT shortly with a decision due by the end of year. If agreed replacement stock could arrive by 2020.

[ellendune]

- Fully refurbished rolling stock of a larger profile, allowing guards to move between carriages (Almost certainly Vivarail's ex-District Line stock)

Suggests they will need to do something about the Ryde tunnel

[eXPassenger]

Suggests they will need to do something about the Ryde tunnel

In a video posted in the Rumour Mill the CEO^▸ (Chief Executive Officer) of Vivarail stated that there was no problem with the D stock and Ryde tunnel.

[CyclingSid]

Could be embarrassing if he is wrong.

[paul7575]

Looking back over the last few years, SWT^▸ (South West Trains) regularly insisting that only 1973 tube stock would ever work (when available) was possibly a good way for them of kicking the problem further into the long grass. Or the next franchise...

Paul

[Electric train]

Looking back over the last few years, SWT^▸ (South West Trains) regularly insisting that only 1973 tube stock would ever work (when available) was possibly a good way for them of kicking the problem further into the long grass. Or the next franchise...

Paul

The reason for the use of tube stock over the use of sub-surface stock I suspect is to do with platform heights and not loading gauge; there would be a cost to either lower the track bed or raise the platform height