Trains To Isle of Wight

With great links to all of the connecting ferry ports it is easy to access the Isle of Wight by train from anywhere in the UK.

Travelling by train takes out much of the hassle, and in many cases will shorten your journey time.

When booking your train travel you have the option to buy “through” tickets to the Isle of Wight port you are crossing to - this also allow you to use any associated rail discounts across your whole package.*

You can also buy through tickets that include onward travel on the Island via the Island Line Train Service - for service and destination information see the Isle of Wight Train page. Island Line is temporarily closed due to an upgrade of its infrastructure, newer trains and improvements to the Ryde, Sandown and Shanklin stations. A shuttle bus from Wightlink’s FastCat on Ryde Pier Head is in operation. Also there is a bus service from Ryde Esplanade to Shanklin every half an hour. For more information about the bus service and upgrades, please visit the South Western Railway's website. Island Line is set to re-open on the 1st November 2021, subject to a final round of train testing. 

Average travel times from major UK rail stations to the Isle of Wight (inc Ferry journey) are:

London – 2 hours 3 minutes (to West Cowes)
Brighton – 2 hours 5 minutes (to Ryde)
Oxford – 2 hours 25 minutes (to West Cowes)
Bristol – 2 hours 46 minutes (to West Cowes)
Birmingham – 3 hours 25 minutes (to West Cowes)
Cardiff – 3 hours 40 minutes (to West Cowes)
Exeter – 3 hours 40 minutes (to West Cowes)

The majority of connecting trains to Isle of Wight are operated by South Western Railway.

You can purchase joint train and ferry tickets, and also review train times and information on their website at https://www.southwesternrailway.com/destinations-and-offers/island-line

*Various discounts are available across the UK rail networks, many of which are valid for discounts on ferry crossings – details can be found on seperate rail services websites.

South Western Railway Journey Planner

There are so many different ways you can save when you buy train tickets. At South Western Railway we sell cheap train tickets to everywhere in Britain.

Check train times in advance and save up to 50% on your travel when you buy early with no booking fee.