HAVING issued a statement in May that the refurbishment work on Ryde Pier was concluding and would reopen to rail traffic on June 10, just two days after the June issue of The RM went to press, Network Rail revised the opening date to July 10.
Since then, engineers have been forced to revise designs in one of the pier’s six different zones, resulting in a change to the components used to secure new rails and sleepers. The complexity of the redesign and sourcing a supply of new parts at a critical point in the programme has led to the new delay. The pier has been shut since
October 2022 for steelwork strengthening and track renewals, and progress has not been helped by delays as a result of bad weather conditions during December and January, leading to work being temporarily paused for safety reasons.
Until the line from Ryde Esplanade to Pier Head reopens, a minibus service is in operation.