Southend Pier Train Remains Out of Service Following Incident

A council has indicated that one of the pier’s trains may be non-operational for several months as an investigation into a recent accident proceeds. A train on Southend Pier sustained damage earlier this month during an incident that occurred at the sea end of the pier’s 1.25m (2km) track. Southend-on-Sea City Council stated that the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), which serves as the rail industry’s safety regulator, has not yet commenced its site visit or launched an investigation. This initial inquiry could potentially be succeeded by an additional independent investigation. The Local Democracy Reporting Service reported that during a meeting held on Monday, Matt Dent, a Labour councillor overseeing culture, tourism, and business, expressed uncertainty regarding the train’s return to service. Addressing a meeting of the scrutiny committee, he stated, “The investigations into that are ongoing.” He further explained, “Because it was a train accident, there is a national body [the ORR] that needs to be involved before we can move forward.” The accident, which occurred on 6 October, involved the train colliding with the buffers, resulting in shards of glass from a shattered window being propelled through a carriage. A spokesperson for the council further commented, “The train will be out of operation until the investigation is complete, which we are unable to give a timeframe [for].” This train is one of two electric trains that were installed as part of a £3.5m investment project for Southend. Previously, one of these trains was non-operational for five months following a technical issue that resulted in passengers being trapped inside due to door malfunction.