A PIER train was evacuated and damaged after hitting the buffers when it “lost power”.

Council staff were forced to smash a glass door panel to gain access to the train and lead passengers to safety after it collided with the buffers at the end of the pier after failing to stop.

Passengers heading to a trip on the Waverley boat were forced to walk the pier after the shunt at 4pm left the electric train, which has a top speed of 10mph, out of action on Sunday. 

An eyewitness said the driver appeared to lose control of the train on the 1.25-mile leisure pier and claims it was announced the train “lost all power to the controls”.

Martin Curtis, 53, from Basildon, said: “I was going to get on the train but decided to walk it as I had an hour before getting on the Waverley.

“I was walking alongside and there was an almighty bang and the middle carriage buckled out. I thought he’d hit the brakes too hard. The window blew out.

“It was about the third carriage behind the driver, forward facing, not the side window. Just behind the driver the door was stuck so they had to smash the door windows to get them out. I couldn’t see the driver so I think he was one of the ones helping to get people out.

“I heard about two minutes after the crash that the driver lost all power to the controls and then hit the buffers.”

The council is investigating the incident and has confirmed no one was injured.

Matt Dent, councillor responsible for culture, tourism and business said: “Over the weekend, there was a minor incident with the pier train at the sea end of the Pier. Due to this, glass had to be removed from the door panel to allow pier staff access to the train, to ensure a safe and quick exit for all.

“We thank passengers for their patience and will be looking further into what happened in due course. We are continuing to operate a normal train service on the pier.”

The electric train is one of two “state-of-the-art” eco-friendly vehicles installed as part of a £3.5m investment for Southend city and pier.

One of the trains was named after murdered MP Sir David Amess and unveiled by the then Prince Charles in 2022. It was out of action for five months after a technical problem left passengers trapped inside when doors failed to open.