First new Island Line train – Class 484 – arrives on the Isle of Wight … on a ferry
The delivery of the new train, making its way down from Warwickshire, marks a major step towards a more modern Island Line
The first of the fully refurbished, high specification fleet arrives today (Thursday), marking a significant milestone in the delivery of a modern railway for the Isle of Wight
This afternoon, amidst the usual mix of passengers making their way over to the Isle of Wight, the 14:45 ferry pulled into Fishbourne Ferry Port carrying a rather different kind of passenger.
Whilst cars, vans and lorries are very often seen boarding, it is rather rarer to see a train, on a lorry, on a ferry.
Since I became MP for the IW, numerous ‘better deals’ have been secured for the Island. We received £20 million to upgrade Ryde Railway Pier and a further £26 million to upgrade Island Line trains and track. This is government money secured for the Island. I led this, the council supported. Our improved railway will soon be opening. We also secured £48 million to upgrade parts of St Mary’s Hospital and improve NHS technology. Further investment has followed this year. The local NHS led this, I supported. I won, in principle, more government support for the Island. The fair funding review is sadly on hold due to Covid but in the meantime we have government cash to agree the true additional costs of providing public services on the Island.