Hovertravel & National Rail

[ASX_Terranova]

Hi,
This is the instruction from the Hovertravel Website:

How to Book​

Hovertravel fares and timetables are integrated into the UK National Rail network, offering through tickets from all UK destinations to and from the Isle Of Wight stations.

• Visit www.nationalrail.co.uk to book your rail through-ticket.
• Select via Ryde Hoverport to ensure one inclusive ticket.
• Reserve your seat on your chosen flight at least 48 hours before travel by completing our national rail bookings form.

When I attempt to use NRE to get an estimate of a return between Newcastle to the Isle of Wight (I've tried multiple island line stations) it doesn't work saying "no fares available". I was trying to get a idea of an itinerary, so when tickets for the first week of August become available I have a reasonable idea.

Can someone be of assistance please?

 

[Haywain]

Hi,
This is the instruction from the Hovertravel Website:

How to Book​

Hovertravel fares and timetables are integrated into the UK National Rail network, offering through tickets from all UK destinations to and from the Isle Of Wight stations.

• Visit www.nationalrail.co.uk to book your rail through-ticket.
• Select via Ryde Hoverport to ensure one inclusive ticket.
• Reserve your seat on your chosen flight at least 48 hours before travel by completing our national rail bookings form.

When I attempt to use NRE to get an estimate of a return between Newcastle to the Isle of Wight (I've tried multiple island line stations) it doesn't work saying "no fares available". I was trying to get a idea of an itinerary, so when tickets for the first week of August become available I have a reasonable idea.

Can someone be of assistance please?

Generally, the only destination that will work in journey planners is Ryde Esplanade. However, most sites do not put composite fares together, only using what is in the fares database which is a further problem. Trainsplit or the forum site will route your journey via the hovercraft if you enter a change point of Ryde Esplanade and use split tickets.

 

[ASX_Terranova]

Generally, the only destination that will work in journey planners is Ryde Esplanade.

How far in advance can you book combination hovercraft tickets, I can get the right results even if the destination is Ryde Hoverport, but only upto the w/k commencing 24th June. After that the only itineraries use the slower ferry.

 

[Haywain]

How far in advance can you book combination ferry tickets, I can get the right results even it the destination is Ryde Hoverport, but only upto the w/k commencing 24th June.

Sorry, I have no idea about that.

 

[Wallsendmag]

I can see them until the middle of July although Advance appear to be missing

 

[Watershed]

Generally, the only destination that will work in journey planners is Ryde Esplanade.

That would be the relevant station for the ferry (Wightlink). For the hovercraft (Hovertravel), you want to search for "Ryde Hoverport" as the destination, as per the quote.

It's also worth noting that not all ticket types are available for journeys to the Isle of Wight.

 

[richw]

After that the only itineraries use the slower ferry.

They’re using the 22 minute catamaran crossing for me.
Once you factor in the transfer by hover bus the cat crossing is faster overall as it leaves from Portsmouth harbour station

 

[ASX_Terranova]

They’re using the 22 minute catamaran crossing for me.
Once you factor in the transfer by hover bus the cat crossing is faster overall as it leaves from Portsmouth harbour station

Thanks for that, if I take a taxi instead of the tube between Kings Cross and Either Victoria & Waterloo, will that cause any issues.

 

[Haywain]

That would be the relevant station for the ferry (Wightlink).

You misunderstand - Ryde Esplanade is the only Island Line station that will generally produce a hovercraft crossing in an itinerary without having to specify via points. All other Island Line stations will usually default to the ferry. Ryde Hoverport is the destination to use if Ryde is the final destination and no Island Line travel is required in addition to the Hovercraft.

 

[Watershed]

Thanks for that, if I take a taxi instead of the tube between Kings Cross and Either Victoria & Waterloo, will that cause any issues.

That's fine - you're under no obligation to use the included Tube transfer - but bear in mind that if you miss your connecting onward train due to being stuck in traffic, it's unlikely your ticket would be valid (or accepted) on later trains from Victoria/Waterloo. By contrast, if you encountered delays on the Tube, you would be covered.

 

[ASX_Terranova]

That's fine - you're under no obligation to use the included Tube transfer - but bear in mind that if you miss your connecting onward train due to being stuck in traffic, it's unlikely your ticket would be valid (or accepted) on later trains from Victoria/Waterloo. By contrast, if you encountered delays on the Tube, you would be covered.

NRE gives me 45 mins to transfer to Victoria and 1hr 10 Mins for Waterloo, are theses times enough?

 

[WAB]

NRE gives me 45 mins to transfer to Victoria and 1hr 10 Mins for Waterloo, are theses times enough?

That'll give you loads of time.

 

[Hadders]

NRE gives me 45 mins to transfer to Victoria and 1hr 10 Mins for Waterloo, are theses times enough?

Plenty of time and faster than a taxi.

 

[Skymonster]

NRE gives me 45 mins to transfer to Victoria and 1hr 10 Mins for Waterloo, are theses times enough?

If you’re at then front of the train at the Cross, know where you’re going and take the best combination of tube lines to avoid longer walks / stairs at connections, Kings Cross to Waterloo is doable in about half an hour (Victoria —> Bakerloo Line, change at Oxford Circus) although I wouldn’t absolutely rely on such a short transfer. For obvious reasons I use Victoria Line from Kings Cross to Victoria and with a bit of familiarity and a following wind that should be achievable in somewhat less time - just don’t hang around if you’ve got 45 minutes in case there’s a SNAFU on the tube (which if you have a through ticket you will be protected against, but I always think its best to make the booked trains on to avoid debate with revenue staff).

PS: There can be some good Advances that include Hovertravel, especially if you have a railcard as they offer discounts over the hovercraft fare too. Use a splitting website, or I usually look to split at places like Woking or Fratton. I very rarely look at booking beyond Ryde as experience suggests the fares / deals aren’t there - so I buy Island Line once I’m on the island.

 

[paul1609]

They’re using the 22 minute catamaran crossing for me.
Once you factor in the transfer by hover bus the cat crossing is faster overall as it leaves from Portsmouth harbour station

Not really because the hovercraft goes directly to Ryde Hoverport which is adjacent to Ryde Esplanade & Station. The CAT goes to Ryde Pier Head from where you have to allow a connection to the train or a walk down the pier. The hover bus in reality only takes a few mins from Portsmouth and Southsea, you can walk it in 25 mins. Ryde Pier is 0.5 miles long so it takes about 10 mins but isnt a pleasant walk if its raining.
It all depends on the connections and where your destination is on the Island.

That's fine - you're under no obligation to use the included Tube transfer - but bear in mind that if you miss your connecting onward train due to being stuck in traffic, it's unlikely your ticket would be valid (or accepted) on later trains from Victoria/Waterloo. By contrast, if you encountered delays on the Tube, you would be covered.

I think if you are going from Victoria to Portsmouth on the direct Southern service your ticket will be accepted under GTRs "other operators advances easement". In practise the only response your likely to get from a Southern OBS shown a ticket to the Isle of Wight is "thank you".

 

[DelW]

They’re using the 22 minute catamaran crossing for me.
Once you factor in the transfer by hover bus the cat crossing is faster overall as it leaves from Portsmouth harbour station

One issue to be aware of is journey planners showing incorrect connections at either Harbour or Pier Head because the actual connection time is less than the minimum the planner will allow.

As an example, the ferry arrives at Pier Head at xx:40 and the train leaves at xx:47. The seven minute connection normally works, but the journey planner will show you a 67 minute connection onto the train an hour later. Hardly anyone would do that, as there are no facilities at Pier Head - if the connection is missed, the best option is to walk (or even taxi) down the pier and catch the intermediate train from Esplanade (where it reverses).

The same issue has occurred at Harbour in the past, though I'm not sure if the current timetabled train times work correctly or not.

The journey planners may incorrectly default to the hovercraft route as a result.

 

[paul1609]

You misunderstand - Ryde Esplanade is the only Island Line station that will generally produce a hovercraft crossing in an itinerary without having to specify via points. All other Island Line stations will usually default to the ferry. Ryde Hoverport is the destination to use if Ryde is the final destination and no Island Line travel is required in addition to the Hovercraft.

Agree, Ryde Hoverport (Esplanade) is actually the best destination for most Island Destinations because it is next to the bus station for the Islands extensive services.
Even Sandown and Shanklin stations arent particularly well sited for most destinations in their own towns.
Ryde Pier Head is the best destination for people that want to ride on the old London Underground trains if they happen to be running that month.

 

[weeklycommuter]

Agree, Ryde Hoverport (Esplanade) is actually the best destination for most Island Destinations because it is next to the bus station for the Islands extensive services.
Even Sandown and Shanklin stations arent particularly well sited for most destinations in their own towns.
Ryde Pier Head is the best destination for people that want to ride on the old London Underground trains if they happen to be running that month.

Ryde Hoverport is next to Ryde Esplanade Railway Station and Bus Interchange which was remodelled about a year ago. This will be better when the new toilets are open but I do not know when that will be. The half hourly Hoverbus in Portsmouth is timed to coincide with the half hourly hovercraft flight arrival and departure times on the hour and half hour at Clarence Pier so the drop off and pick up there works well. There is a wait for the half hourly Hoverbus in Commercial Road across the road from Portsmouth and Southsea Station which could be up to half an hour. Buses call at Shanklin Railway Station including the number 3 to Ventnor also the Shanklin Shuttle to the beach and the Old Village end of May to end of September. The old London Underground class 483 trains on the Island Line have been replaced by the class 484 trains.

 

[Gloster]

Despite there being virtually no publicity, the second Island Line train (the one that doesn’t go right through to the Pier Head) is generally not running. I can’t find a reference to this on South Western Railway’s site and I don’t know if the National Rail site knows either. There is a poster at Ryde Esplanade, but even that has been wrong. Still, you might as well walk along the pier as there is absolutely nothing to do at the pier head unless you brought sea-fishing rods with you.

 

[paul1609]

Ryde Hoverport is next to Ryde Esplanade Railway Station and Bus Interchange which was remodelled about a year ago. This will be better when the new toilets are open but I do not know when that will be. The half hourly Hoverbus in Portsmouth is timed to coincide with the half hourly hovercraft flight arrival and departure times on the hour and half hour at Clarence Pier so the drop off and pick up there works well. There is a wait for the half hourly Hoverbus in Commercial Road across the road from Portsmouth and Southsea Station which could be up to half an hour. Buses call at Shanklin Railway Station including the number 3 to Ventnor also the Shanklin Shuttle to the beach and the Old Village end of May to end of September. The old London Underground class 483 trains on the Island Line have been replaced by the class 484 trains.

The wait at Commercial Road for the Hoverbus is actually likely to be less than the wait at Portsmouth Harbour for the CAT.
The 3 bus that calls at Shanklin Station for Ventnor will have departed from Ryde Interchange 34 mins earlier serving Brading, Sandown and Sandown including most of the accomodation en route. There is absolutely no point in getting the train from Ryde to await the bus from Ryde at Shanklin station!
The new Class 484 trains are slightly newer old London Underground trains. Currently very few of them work because the wheels are worn out.

 

[weeklycommuter]

Despite there being virtually no publicity, the second Island Line train (the one that doesn’t go right through to the Pier Head) is generally not running. I can’t find a reference to this on South Western Railway’s site and I don’t know if the National Rail site knows either. There is a poster at Ryde Esplanade, but even that has been wrong. Still, you might as well walk along the pier as there is absolutely nothing to do at the pier head unless you brought sea-fishing rods with you.

The following press report dates from 28 February 2024. I cannot find anything on the www.southwesternrailway.com Failing to make this information available and easy to find on their website is very poor communication by South Western Railway.

ISLAND LINE TO RUN HOURLY SERVICE FOR THE MONTHS AHEAD DUE TO TROUBLESOME TRAINS

Island Line will switch to an hourly service from tomorrow (Thursday) until further notice as the 'new' Class 484 trains are proving problematic. Despite a recent £26million investment in the Ryde Pier Head to Shanklin service, which promised greater connectivity, South Western Railway has...

www.islandecho.co.uk

A full service will run between 24th March and 14th April, 4th May to 11th May and 24th May to 7th September.

The wait at Commercial Road for the Hoverbus is actually likely to be less than the wait at Portsmouth Harbour for the CAT.

On average yes as except for the half hourly service on busy days over the summer the Wightlink fastcat sailings are hourly. However some people may prefer a wait in the Wightlink departure lounge with cafe and toilets at Portsmouth Harbour Station to standing at a bus stop in Commercial Road. The other issue at present is the lack of toilets at the Ryde Esplanade Rail and Bus Interchange which I hope will soon be fixed. There are toilets at Ryde Pier Head which will be outside the new Wightlink ticket gates so they will continue to be available for both arriving and departing Wightlink passengers. There is also a new pedestrian walkway on the former middle Tram Pier so pedestrians no longer have to share the Promenade Pier with cars when walking between Ryde Esplanade and Ryde Pier Head.

The 3 bus that calls at Shanklin Station for Ventnor will have departed from Ryde Interchange 34 mins earlier serving Brading, Sandown and Sandown including most of the accomodation en route. There is absolutely no point in getting the train from Ryde to await the bus from Ryde at Shanklin station!

For most destinations on the Isle of Wight including popular attractions Osborne House and the Needles the bus is the only option anyway. The one destination for which I find the train works better is visiting Shanklin Beach and the Old Village over the summer as the Shanklin Shuttle Bus connects these with Shanklin Railway Station and they are not served directly by buses 2 and 3. The route of number 3 to Ventnor has changed since last year due to the Bonchurch landslip so this bus now connects Shanklin and Ventnor via Wroxall and does not go along the coast. I also travel on the Island Line trains to connect with the Isle of Wight Steam Railway at Smallbrook Junction which is only accessible by train.

 

[btdrawer]

Fwiw, I've just done a return SWR+Hovertravel journey and I found it to be caveat emptor:

1. People with integrated tickets are deprioritised vs people who booked a discrete Hovertravel ticket - on the way out, we were only just allowed on, with lots of people left behind. The next hovercraft was 30 minutes later, but still.

2. On the way back - this one's more serious imo - we did not have enough time to make the connection between Southsea Hoverport and Portsmouth & Southsea, and not because of any prior delay; AFAICT it was literally impossible to make the connection. The H1 bus seems to take a very circuitous route in this direction (I can't figure it out but it seems to do a loop with P&S close to the end). No other bus would have got us there on time. Seems like something basically went wrong in the calculations about how long the connection would take.

So I'm not sure I would do this again - will probably get the ferry next time.

 

[DelW]

Fwiw, I've just done a return SWR+Hovertravel journey and I found it to be caveat emptor:

1. People with integrated tickets are deprioritised vs people who booked a discrete Hovertravel ticket - on the way out, we were only just allowed on, with lots of people left behind. The next hovercraft was 30 minutes later, but still.

2. On the way back - this one's more serious imo - we did not have enough time to make the connection between Southsea Hoverport and Portsmouth & Southsea, and not because of any prior delay; it seems like it was literally impossible to make the connection. The H1 bus seems to take a very circuitous route in this direction (I can't figure it out but it seems to do a loop with P&S close to the end). No other bus would have got us there on time. Seems like something basically went wrong in the calculations about how long the connection would take.

So I'm not sure I would do this again - will probably get the ferry next time.

At busy times, I have known Hovertravel to put on additional short-notice services to clear a queue. On the one occasion I was unable to board (with a through untimed rail ticket) they ran an additional flight about 10 - 15 minutes later.

The Hoverbus operator changed last week from Stagecoach to First. I assumed the timetable stayed the same, but possibly not?

The fastcats do soak up many more people though, there can be a long queue at Harbour yet there are normally loads of spare seats on board.

 

[paul1609]

The hoverbus goes on a circular route so it can also serve the hard (Gunwharf Quays, historic ships and Gosport Ferry, National Express). In that direction if your train starts at Portsmouth Harbour you are better off alighting at the hard. It's about 100 yard flat walk to Portsmouth Harbour station.

 

[btdrawer]

The hoverbus goes on a circular route so it can also serve the hard (Gunwharf Quays, historic ships and Gosport Ferry, National Express). In that direction if your train starts at Portsmouth Harbour you are better off alighting at the hard. It's about 100 yard flat walk to Portsmouth Harbour station.

the tricky thing is I had an advance single starting at Portsmouth & Southsea, so going to Portsmouth Hbr would've meant an extra ticket.

(Tbc, the advance single actually started at Sandown and was the one that was integrated with Hovertravel, so there should have been enough connection time)

At busy times, I have known Hovertravel to put on additional short-notice services to clear a queue. On the one occasion I was unable to board (with a through untimed rail ticket) they ran an additional flight about 10 - 15 minutes later.

The Hoverbus operator changed last week from Stagecoach to First. I assumed the timetable stayed the same, but possibly not?

The fastcats do soak up many more people though, there can be a long queue at Harbour yet there are normally loads of spare seats on board.

Interesting! Yes, perhaps the ticket I was sold was based on an older bus timetable.

 

[paul1609]

the tricky thing is I had an advance single starting at Portsmouth & Southsea, so going to Portsmouth Hbr would've meant an extra ticket.

(Tbc, the advance single actually started at Sandown and was the one that was integrated with Hovertravel, so there should have been enough connection time)


Interesting! Yes, perhaps the ticket I was sold was based on an older bus timetable.

A through ticket from the I.o.W route hover travel will be accepted at Harbour station even if your reservation starts at Portsmouth &ss. It will normally work the barriers too

 

[btdrawer]

A through ticket from the I.o.W route hover travel will be accepted at Harbour station even if your reservation starts at Portsmouth &ss. It will normally work the barriers too

Huh. That's good to know; thank you!

 

[ajs]

The Hoverbus operator changed last week from Stagecoach to First. I assumed the timetable stayed the same, but possibly not?

The timetable and route stayed the same.
It is a circular route that starts of at the Hovercraft Terminal at Southsea makes its way to Portsmouth Harbour Station then upto Portsmouth & Southsea Station and then back to the Hovercraft Terminal.

I understand that HoverTravel will be keeping an eye on luggage allowance and making charges if a passenger exceeds their luggage allowance.

 

[weeklycommuter]

At busy times, I have known Hovertravel to put on additional short-notice services to clear a queue. On the one occasion I was unable to board (with a through untimed rail ticket) they ran an additional flight about 10 - 15 minutes later.

The Hoverbus operator changed last week from Stagecoach to First. I assumed the timetable stayed the same, but possibly not?

The fastcats do soak up many more people though, there can be a long queue at Harbour yet there are normally loads of spare seats on board.

Each hovercraft only has around 80 seats while according to the Wightlink website each fastcat can carry 260 passengers. The fastcats also have a lot more space than the hovercraft for luggage and bicycles and when the weather is good during daylight hours fastcat passengers can go upstairs, sit on the open sun deck and look at the views crossing the Solent.

 

[Gloster]

I asked about the second train at Ryde Esplanade today. It should be running from 23 May to the beginning of September, but note the ‘should be’. It should have run this week, but the strike and work-to-rule meant that they had covered the poster up.