Trains have taken passengers up and down Ryde Pier for the first time in eight months after repairs on the pier were finally completed.

Work on Ryde Pier started on October 30, 2022, with Island Line trains, operating between Ryde Esplanade and the Pier Head, halted to allow repairs and refurbishment due to damage caused by years of harsh environmental conditions.

The Victorian pier was split into six different 'zones' with five different designs. 

The work was said to extend the pier's life by up to 60 years and was expected to be completed by spring.

  • See video above, courtesy of Ben Rue.

However, engineers have been working to recover from a three-month delay due to ‘extreme weather’ where storms damaged scaffolding and made work unsafe.

Engineers were also forced to revise their designs for one of the pier’s zones, seeing the programme delayed.

In June, the County Press reported that trains would not reopen in time for the Isle of Wight Festival.

Isle of Wight County Press: Train on the pier at 4.48pm this afternoonTrain on the pier at 4.48pm this afternoon (Image: Railcam)

The reopening date was pushed back again from June 10 to July 10, but trains have been seen completing the trip up and down the 143-year-old pier today. 

A spokesperson from South Western Railway (SWR), which runs Island Line, confirmed that trains have started running passenger trains on the pier once again.