'Staff unavailablity' means there are yet more cancellations on Isle of Wight train services today (Wednesday).

Island Line is facing its 18th day of disruption in the 28 days so far this month (June).

Today, 16 journeys between Ryde and Shanklin are off.

Earlier this week Islanders slammed the service's 'unreliability', as the County Press reported.

Read more: Isle of Wight Island Line train cancellations 'unacceptable'

It led to an apology from South Western Railway (SWR), which blamed difficulties in getting cover for sick colleagues.

A spokesperson told the County Press: "Providing cover is likely to continue to be challenging for the remainder of June but colleagues will be doing everything they can to minimise the impact on our service.”

SWR could not say how or when it proposes to solve the staff shortages.

When Island Line was given a £26 million upgrade in September 2019, it was hoped the service would become 'more punctual, reliable trains'.

However, Islanders say the service has become 'hit and miss'.

"There really is no excuse for this", another said.

It has also drawn comparisons with the floating bridge, for reliability.

From Monday, July 3 to Friday, July 7, there will be a planned closure of the Island Line while staff complete refresher training in preparation for the reopening of the Ryde Pier rail line on Monday, July 10. 

During the closure, two rail replacement bus services per hour will run, in both directions, between Ryde Esplanade and Shanklin.