Isle of Wight train services have not run "as we have wanted them to" over the years and "we can only apologise for that", South Western Railway (SWR) has admitted, ahead of the start of major works.

SWR has also revealed it hopes to bring back two trains every hour on Island Line, once work and reliability issues are solved.

From next month (September), the entire line will close for a month and trains will not serve Ryde Pier Head for eight months.

Working from Shanklin to Ryde, the £20 million project will involve repairing train bridges and renewing hundreds of metres of track.

Read more: No Isle of Wight trains on Ryde Pier for 8 months due to works

It will also see improvements to the railway along the historic Ryde Pier, with the aim of "bringing it back to life".

Trains only returned to the pier in July last year, having shut for works from October 2022.

But, following challenges with weather and the amount of work required, a decision was made to reopen the line and postpone the works until now.

Speaking to the County Press, Neil Drury, engineering and infrastructure director for SWR, said: "It's a great investment for the pier and it keeps the life of the pier for decades to come."

George Murrell, from Network RailGeorge Murrell, from Network Rail (Image: IWCP)

George Murrell, route renewals director for Network Rail, said: "We're investing in the whole line with the intention to make the performance and experience the best it has been.

"We're sorry for the disruption and recognise this is inconvenient."

Island Line has been blighted with cancellations and delays over the last few years — the main reason given being staff shortages.

Asked whether this would be addressed, Neil Drury said it has been "challenging" but "from a resourcing perspective we are back up to almost full size".

He said: "I can only apologise from myself and my team, and on behalf of South Western Railway.

"We are on a route to make this better and investing heavily to make it better for the community."

Read more: Isle of Wight Island Line train timetable changes for summer

He also said running two trains per hour proved "challenging" and the change to a 40 minute timetable, made earlier this year, has improved reliability.

"In terms of getting to the 30 minutes, that is our aspiration", he said.

The pier will close to trains on Friday, September 6 and is expected to reopen in early May 2025.

A minibus shuttle service will operate between the Pier Head and Ryde Esplanade throughout the closure.