Island Line to shut in two phases as Network Rail lays 700m of new track at Ryde

Network Rail Wessex and South Western Railway will close the whole Island Line on the Isle of Wight from Saturday 31 October to Sunday 15 November 2026, followed by a partial closure at Ryde, to repair and realign track and lay 700 metres of new track.

Network Rail said the line will shut between Ryde Pier Head and Shanklin from 31 October to 15 November while maintenance teams carry out track repairs and improve rail alignment across the route.

A second closure, between Ryde Pier Head and Ryde St Johns Road, will follow from Monday 16 to Sunday 29 November, according to the infrastructure owner. Engineers will install 700 metres of new track on that section during the second phase. Network Rail said trains will keep running between Ryde St Johns Road and Shanklin during this phase, with buses replacing trains between Ryde Esplanade and Ryde St Johns Road. SWR's own planned-improvements page, however, gives the partial closure as Monday 16 to Saturday 28 November.

Mark Dunn, Island Line General Manager for South Western Railway and Network Rail Wessex, said: "These annual line closures allow us to carry out a large programme of maintenance and improvement work that will keep customers moving for the rest of the year, particularly during the busy summer months."

SWR's planned-improvements page says the Island Line will be affected by engineering work from 31 October to 29 November, all days inclusive, and that the lines between Ryde Pier Head and Ryde St Johns Road will be closed in the second phase.

The works

Network Rail said engineers from SWR and Network Rail Wessex will renew ageing track and signalling infrastructure across the line. Ryde St Johns Road station and its car park will be closed from 31 October to 15 November while temporary offices for the engineers are installed.

Thirty of the track panels removed from the Island Line will be donated to the Isle of Wight Steam Railway, which runs from Smallbrook Junction, Network Rail said. The donation continues an arrangement under which rail infrastructure taken off Ryde Pier and across the line in 2024-25 was repurposed by the heritage railway. George Murrell, Wessex route renewals director, said in May 2025 that Network Rail supports the Steam Railway by upcycling parts of its infrastructure.

Previous autumn works

Network Rail said it chooses the autumn for the Island Line works to minimise their impact. In August 2025 Mr Murrell said: "We know how important the Island Line is to the local economy, particularly during the busy summer season."

The 2025 closure was scheduled to run from 18 October to 17 November, according to Network Rail's August 2025 announcement. The planned works included replacing the switches and crossings at Ryde Esplanade and replacing rail through Ryde Tunnel between Ryde Esplanade and Ryde St Johns Road.

The 2024 autumn works, which ended on 7 October 2024, laid 110m of new track on composite sleepers through Ryde Esplanade station, renewed part of the track at Smallbrook Junction and replaced the bridge decks at Park Road and Rink Road.

Between those two blockades, the section from Ryde Esplanade to Ryde Pier Head was closed from September 2024 for repairs to Ryde Pier, intended to extend the structure's life by another 60 years. Conor Wilcox, project manager at Octavius Infrastructure, was quoted by Network Rail on the pier works. The team installed 590m of new rail and 2,500m of new rail bearers and replaced 450 worn wooden sleepers with composite sleepers, which Network Rail said are more resilient to extreme weather. Full services resumed on 2 May 2025, four days ahead of schedule.

The wider £26m Island Line upgrade, funded by the Department for Transport, Isle of Wight Council and Solent Local Enterprise Partnership, installed a new passing loop at Brading, according to SWR.

What happens next

During the first closure, buses will replace trains between Ryde Pier Head and Ryde Esplanade and between Ryde Esplanade and Shanklin, calling at Ryde St Johns Road, Brading, Sandown and Lake. Network Rail said journey planners have been updated and advised passengers to plan carefully. SWR's page gives Sunday 29 November as the last day of engineering work.