| Information |
| Type: |
National Rail (Island Line) |
| Station code: |
RYP |
| Opened: |
1880 |
| Platforms: |
1 |
Ryde Pier Head is the Northern terminus on the Island Line on the Isle of Wight, literally being over water at the end of Ryde Pier next to the terminal for the Wight Link catamaran from Portsmouth[1].
The station was opened in 1880, a joint effort between the London South Western Railway and London Brighton and South Coast Railway. Originally the station was over timber frames but the pier head was reinforced with ferro-concrete after World War 1[2].
Originally the station had 2 islands with 3 platforms, a fourth being added in 1933. However now only one platform is in use as the Island Line service has been cut back. At one stage in peak times a shuttle ran just between the Pier Head and the next station on land Ryde Esplanade as well as the regular service to the rest of the line but no longer.
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| Island Line 483 004 loads up with passengers from the ferry |
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| Preparing to head for land |
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| Island Line 483 007 just after arrival |
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| Heading out across the sea towards the Pier Head (seen from Ryde Esplanade) |
[1] John Balmforth, South West Trains (Ian Allan, 2011) p. 51
[2] R.J. Maycock & R. Silsbury, The Isle of Wight Railways from 1923 Onwards (Oakwood Press, 2006) p. 75
