If you fancy a ride in a refurbished ex-District line train, then head to the Isle of Wight from November.

The Island Line, which famously used to use former London Underground tube trains has been upgrading the line to accept former District line trains, and they’ve confirmed that the first trains will run on 1st November.

The ex- District line trains have been converted by Vivarail, which converts the bodyshell of the old Metro-Cammell manufactured trains so that they can be used on the mainline rail network.

The trains were due to come into service earlier this year, but upgrading the line has taken longer to complete than first anticipated. This has been due to several factors including train testing complications, the pandemic, and even the flash flooding which engulfed the Isle of Wight earlier this summer.

During testing, the new Class 484 Island Line trains have been affected by software issues, which SWR and train supplier Vivarail had to fix during the testing of the line.

As well as testing the new trains, SWR staff have been busy improving the rail infrastructure and stations on the Island. Amongst other enhancements, the Island Line tracks have been upgraded to provide a smoother ride.

So if you fancy a ride in some ex-London Underground trains, head to the Isle of Wight from 1st November.

(c) SWR