PROBLEMATIC electric trains on Southend Pier have been taken out of service until next week, following recurrent “technical issues”.
The trains have been out of action since the weekend, with the old diesel trains being used to temporarily replace them.
The electric trains were introduced in 2022 as a “bespoke and unique method of transport for the pier” as part of a £3.5million council investment.
However, they have been plagued by issues and breakdowns over the last two years. At the weekend, a fault was found with the doors.
In 2022, a glitch left passengers trapped inside Sir David Amess pier train when the doors failed to open, prompting onlookers to help prise them open.
David Garston, deputy leisure councillor, said: “Following the most recent fault, our specialist contractor will be on-site next week to undertake minor adjustments to the train door system.
“In the meantime, we have a pier train service operating via our diesel train, which is used for situations like this. We apologise for any inconvenience.”
Matt Dent, Labour opposition councillor for Kursaal, said he was “disappointed” at the trains’ failure.
He said: “The frequency of problems suggests a need to look at whether the trains are fit for purpose. It’s not encouraging, the number of times they’ve been out of service.
"We need to have a conversation with the provider because what’s been provided clearly isn’t reliable. Bluntly, they shouldn’t be doing this.”
Mr Dent says the diesel trains, which had been in operation since 1986, had reached the end of their working life, prompting the need for new ones.
However, he added: “We need to look at the quality of their replacements because these are not what we were sold. It would be preferable to get them sorted now for good, rather than having problems drag into the summer.”
Patrick Lamb, managing director at Severn Lamb, the company which built the trains, has apologised.
He said: “The pier trains are a bespoke, complex, and unique method of transportation for the Pier, and as specialist contractor we have identified an intermittent door issue which requires attention.”
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