General information | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Location | Ryde, Isle of Wight England | ||||
Grid reference | SZ596906 | ||||
Managed by | Island Line | ||||
Platforms | 2 (1 National Rail, 1 Isle of Wight Steam Railway) | ||||
Other information | |||||
Station code | SAB | ||||
Classification | DfT category F2 | ||||
History | |||||
Opened | 20 July 1991 | ||||
Key dates | |||||
3 January 2021 | Island line Platform closed for upgrade works | ||||
1 November 2021 | Island line Platform reopened | ||||
Passengers | |||||
2019/20 | 12,352 | ||||
2020/21 | 1,268 | ||||
2021/22 | 4,658 | ||||
2022/23 | 8,024 | ||||
2023/24 | 8,174 | ||||
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Smallbrook Junction railway station is a railway station on the Isle of Wight,England. It is unusual because it has no public access but exists purely to provide a connection between two rail systems.
Another similar station is Manulla Junction in County Mayo,Republic of Ireland. However,that station allows interchange between two national network rail routes,rather than between a network route and a heritage route.
The station was opened in 1991 by British Rail when the Isle of Wight Steam Railway was extended to reach the Island Line,in order to provide a passenger interchange between the two. It is only served on days that both the Island Line and the Steam Railway are open,as there is no access either by path or by road.
Prior to 1991 there was no station on this site,but it was still an important railway junction. "Smallbrook Junction" is the historic name,long predating the station. Between 1875 and 1926 there were two separate lines here,independently run by the Isle of Wight Central Railway and the Isle of Wight Railway. In 1926,following the island's rail network passing to the Southern Railway,a signal box and points were installed at Smallbrook. From then until 1966,the line was the Junction between the Ryde Pier Head to Ventnor and Ryde Pier Head to Cowes Lines,and was notable for only being operated as such during the summer months when traffic increased. [1] The junction has been featured in many photographs from the time.
If the Isle of Wight Steam Railway achieves its long-term aim of extending to Ryde St. Johns Road,it is likely that Smallbrook Junction station would close. [2] [3]
In October 2000,flooding near the station washed away much of the track ballast on the Island Line. Due to the dangerous state of the line,and the damage caused to trains by related flooding at Ryde depot,Island Line Trains had to suspend their services for several days. [4]
Similar events occurred in December 2013,closing the line for many weeks.
On days when the steam railway operates,there is an hourly service in both directions between approximately 10:30 and 16:30.
Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Brading | Island Line Ryde-Shanklin | Ryde St John's Road | ||
Heritage railways | ||||
Ashey | Isle of Wight Steam Railway | Terminus |
The Island Line is a railway line on the Isle of Wight which runs along the island's east coast and links Ryde Pier Head with Shanklin. Trains connect at Ryde Pier Head with passenger ferries to Portsmouth Harbour,and these ferries in turn connect with the rest of the National Rail network via the Portsmouth Direct Line. The line also connects to the Isle of Wight Steam Railway,a heritage railway,at Smallbrook Junction. For much of its length the line runs alongside the A3055,criss-crossing this road by means of the Ryde Tunnel and bridges at Rowborough,Morton Common,Lake Hill and Littlestairs.
The Isle of Wight Steam Railway is a heritage railway on the Isle of Wight. The railway passes through 5+1⁄2 miles (9 km) of countryside from Smallbrook Junction to Wootton station,passing through the small village of Havenstreet,where the line has a station,headquarters and a depot. At Smallbrook Junction,the steam railway connects with the Island Line.
The British Rail Class 483 electric multiple units were originally built as 1938 tube stock units for London Underground. They were extensively refurbished between 1989 and 1992 by Eastleigh Works,for use on services on the Isle of Wight's Island Line. This was despite having already been used for nearly 50 years on the London Underground network. The units replaced the even older and life-expired British Rail Classes 485 and 486 units which were introduced in 1967,but were originally built as 'Standard' stock units for the London Electric Railway in 1923.
Ryde Pier is an early 19th century pier serving the town of Ryde,on the Isle of Wight,off the south coast of England. It is the world's oldest seaside pleasure pier. Ryde Pier Head railway station is at the sea end of the pier,and Ryde Esplanade railway station at the land end,both served by Island Line trains.
The Isle of Wight Central Railway (IoWCR) was a railway company on the Isle of Wight,United Kingdom. It was formed in 1887 by the merging of three earlier railways,the Cowes and Newport Railway,the Ryde and Newport Railway and the Isle of Wight Railway,.
The Isle of Wight Railway was a railway company on the Isle of Wight,United Kingdom;it operated 14 miles of railway line between Ryde and Ventnor. It opened the first section of line from Ryde to Sandown in 1864,later extending to Ventnor in 1866. The Ryde station was at St Johns Road,some distance from the pier where the majority of travellers arrived. A tramway operated on the pier itself,and a street-running tramway later operated from the Pier to St Johns Road. It was not until 1880 that two mainland railways companies jointly extended the railway line to the Pier Head,and IoWR trains ran through,improving the journey arrangements.
Sandown railway station is a railway station serving Sandown on the Isle of Wight,England. It is located on the Island Line from Ryde to Shanklin.
Shanklin railway station is a Grade II listed railway station serving Shanklin on the Isle of Wight. It is the present terminus of the Island Line from Ryde,although the line used to continue to Wroxall and Ventnor. The station now has one platform with a ticket office and a small shop,the second platform is now in use as a flower bed. The former subway has been filled in.
Lake railway station is a station on the Isle of Wight serving the village of Lake,situated in a quiet residential area not far from Lake Cliff Gardens and the beach at Sandown Bay. Until the construction of an interchange station with the Isle of Wight Steam Railway at Smallbrook Junction in 1991,this station was the newest on the island:it was opened by British Rail in 1987. The station is formed of a single platform with a shelter.
Brading railway station is a Grade II listed railway station serving Brading on the Isle of Wight,England. It is located on the Island Line from Ryde to Shanklin. Owing to its secluded countryside location,it is one of the quietest stations on the island.
Ryde St John's Road is a railway station on the Island Line,and serves the town of Ryde,Isle of Wight. The station is 1.25 mi (2 km) south of Ryde Pier Head—the Island Line's northern terminus.
Ryde Transport Interchange or Gateway serves the town of Ryde,Isle of Wight,England.
Ryde Pier Head railway station is one of three stations in the town of Ryde on the Isle of Wight. Situated at the end of the town's pier,it is adjacent to the terminal for the Wightlink fast catamaran service connecting the island with Portsmouth on the English mainland. Passengers can use this to connect with the rest of the National Rail network at Portsmouth Harbour station,which is adjacent to the Portsmouth terminal. Through rail tickets for travel via Pier Head station are available to and from other stations on the Isle of Wight. These include travel on the catamaran service to or from Portsmouth as appropriate.
Manulla Junction railway station is a transfer point for train passengers in County Mayo,Ireland.
Island Line is a brand of South Western Railway which runs the 8.5-mile (13.7 km) Island Line on the Isle of Wight. A stand-alone franchise from 1996 until 2007,it then became part of the South Western franchise operated by South West Trains until August 2017 and since by South Western Railway.
Ryde Esplanade railway station serves the town of Ryde on the Isle of Wight,and forms part of the Ryde Transport Interchange. Located on the sea front,it is the most convenient station for the majority of the town. Ryde Esplanade is also the location of the principal ticket office and all lost property facilities for the Island Line. The larger St John's Road station houses the area office and is next to Ryde Traincare Depot,where all in-house maintenance for the line takes place.
There are several modes of Transport on the Isle of Wight,an island in the English Channel.
Ryde Traincare Depot is a railway traction maintenance depot,situated in Ryde,Isle of Wight,to the east of Ryde St John's Road railway station. The depot is operated by Island Line,is allocated the Island Line fleet of the British Rail Class 484s. The depot code is RY.
There once existed a 55+1⁄2-mile (89.3 km) network of railway lines on the Isle of Wight,which operated both as a self-contained railway network,and as links to ferry services between the island and the South coast of Great Britain. The routes were opened by several companies between 1862 and 1901 and modernised after The Grouping in the 1920s. Most of them were permanently closed between 1952 and 1966,whilst the 8+1⁄2-mile-long (13.7 km) Island Line was temporarily closed in 1966 and rebuilt for electric train services,introduced in 1967. Replacement trains were introduced in 1990,and again in 2021 along with a major renewal of the line. A further 5+1⁄2 miles (8.9 km) have reopened as a heritage line known as the Isle of Wight Steam Railway and there have been several proposals to expand the network further since the 1960s,either with conventional heavy rail or by conversion to light rail.
The Portsmouth and Ryde Joint Railway was a group of three railway lines in Southern England that were jointly owned and operated by the London and South Western Railway and the London,Brighton and South Coast Railway. The main line was between Cosham and Portsmouth Harbour;there was a branch from Fratton to East Southsea;and a line between Ryde Pier Head and Ryde St John's Road. The last-named section was isolated from the others,being on the Isle of Wight. The first section of line opened in 1847 and the last in 1885;the Southsea branch closed in 1914 but all of the other routes have since been electrified and remain open.