Trains to the 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 allows 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 when you are on the Island, see the Isle of Wight Train page. 

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

London Waterloo – 2 hours 3 minutes (to West Cowes via Southampton Central station)
London Waterloo - 2 hours (to Ryde via Portsmouth Harbour station)
Brighton – 2 hours 5 minutes (to Ryde via Portsmouth Harbour station)
Oxford – 2 hours 15 minutes (to West Cowes via Southampton Central station)
Bristol – 2 hours 46 minutes (to West Cowes via Southampton Central station)
Birmingham New Street – 3 hours 25 minutes (to West Cowes via Southampton Central station)
Birmingham New Street – 4 hours 25 minutes (to Ryde via Portsmouth Harbour station)
Cardiff – 3 hours 40 minutes (to West Cowes via Southampton Central station)
Exeter – 3 hours 40 minutes (to West Cowes via Southampton Central station)

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 here. 

*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 they sell cheap train tickets to everywhere in Britain.

Check train times in advance on the South Western Railway website and get the best price with no booking fee.