In 1880 the
London and South Western Railway (LSWR) and
London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LBSCR) agreed to open a jointly owned line north from Ryde St John's Road. Under the direction of LBSCR Chief Engineer
Frederick Banister, the construction of the extension included a new tunnel and a third
Ryde Pier to enable the line to reach a new station at Ryde Pier Head, which provided a connection with the companies' ferry services. When the LBSC/LSWR joint line opened, it was as a
double track section from Ryde St John's Road station through to Ryde Pier Head. There was a
scissors crossover situated on Ryde Pier to allow trains to access all platforms. Sets of crossovers were installed at St John's Road to enable trains to change from the joint line's left-hand running to the single-track sections on the
Isle of Wight Central Railway's Newport line and the
Isle of Wight Railway's Shanklin line (now known as the Island Line). The station originally consisted of three platforms in the form of a pair of islands; a fourth track was added later, opening in 1933. The station was rebuilt on electrification of the remaining line in 1967, and the new layout consisted of two tracks with three platform faces. One of these tracks is now out of use, so only one platform currently operates. This is the track which runs along the western side of the pier; a double track section commences immediately to the south of
Ryde Esplanade railway station. As of May 2019, the condition of some of the station buildings led to criticism that it was not a sufficiently welcoming sight for visitors to the island. There were also significant concerns that the age and condition of the Victorian railway pier would mean the line between the Esplanade and Pier Head might have to be abandoned, as it was not seen as economical to renew the pier based on passenger numbers. However, noting that if the pier railway were to close the rest of the
Island Line would serve little purpose and therefore also likely close,
Network Rail have agreed to fund £5m worth of renewal work on the pier, as the government makes a £26m investment in new trains and track for the route. From 2021 onwards, the Pier Head (and the rest of the Island Line) is served by new
Vivarail D-Train Class 484 EMUs, converted from
London Underground D78 Stock.
Stationmasters • John Henry Astridge 1880 - 1884 (also station master of Ryde Esplanade) • James Langworthy 1884 - 1894 (also station master of Ryde Esplanade) • William Percy Froud 1895 - 1905 (afterwards station master at Portsmouth Town and Portsmouth Harbour) • T.J.D. Russell 1905 - 1906 • George Henry French 1906 - 1930 (also station master at Ryde Esplanade) • Malcolm J. Bucket 1930 - 1931 (formerly station master at Fratton, also station master at Ryde Esplanade and Ryde St John's) • H.E. Millichap ca. 1935 - 1941 (also station master at Ryde Esplanade and Ryde St John's) • T.F. Thompson 1941 - 1949 • T. Rowley Cliff ca. 1951 == Services ==