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Pier train still out of service after accident

BBC A Southend Pier train sits at the end of the track. The picture is a close-up of the damage caused when it hit the buffers. Shards of wood and other parts of the train can be seen hanging off.BBC
One of Southend Pier's trains was damaged earlier this month after it collided with a buffer

One of a pier's trains could be out of action for months while a recent accident is investigated, a council has said.

A Southend Pier train was damaged during an incident at the sea end of the pier's 1.25m (2km) track earlier this month.

Southend-on-Sea City Council said the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) - the rail industry's safety regulator - has yet to visit the site and start an investigation, and that could be followed by a further independent investigation.

During a meeting on Monday, Matt Dent, a Labour councillor responsible for culture, tourism and business, said it was not clear when the train would run again, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"The investigations into that are ongoing," he told a meeting of the scrutiny committee.

"Because it was a train accident, there is a national body [the ORR] that needs to be involved before we can move forward."

In the accident, on 6 October, the train hit the buffers, sending shards of glass from a smashed window flying through a carriage.

Local Democracy Reporting Service/Martin Curtis Shards of painted white wood from the train's front can be seen hanging from its body. The train is stationary on the tracks.Local Democracy Reporting Service/Martin Curtis
The train will sit in the sidings while investigations into the accident take place

A council spokesman added: "The train will be out of operation until the investigation is complete, which we are unable to give a timeframe [for]."

The train was one of two electric trains installed as part of a £3.5m investment for Southend.

One was out of action for five months after a technical problem left passengers trapped inside when doors failed to open.

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