The Isle of Wight Council has added its voice to those welcoming the new date for the reopening of Island Line.

On Wednesday, franchise holder South Western Railway (SWR) announced it was aiming for the return of service, which runs between Ryde and Shanklin, on November 1.

Delays have been caused by Brexit, Covid-19, flood damage and software problems.

'Good progress' has been made on the latter, said SWR, which has been working with partner Vivarail.

Isle of Wight County Press: Councillor Phil Jordan.Councillor Phil Jordan.

Councillor Phil Jordan, Isle of Wight Council's cabinet member for transport and infrastructure, said: "I welcome the much needed return of the Island Line train service from Shanklin to Ryde Pier Head.

"It's been a long wait but we have seen a great improvement in the stations, along the line and in the new trains that are replacing our 80-year-old previous stock.

"The restoration of the connectivity from Shanklin to the mainland is an important service for many people who depend on the connection for work and leisure reasons and I'm very pleased we now have a definite date for resumption.

"Along with planned improvements to the Interchange, we are starting to see better travel services for residents and visitors and with aspirations for further expansion of the Island line through government grants we are beginning to see what investment can really deliver for our Island."

Island Line was closed in January for an upgrade and was supposed to reopen in the spring after a £26 million refurbishment and newly converted replacement trains.