One of Southend Pier's trains is still out of service after an accident

One of Southend Pier’s trains was damaged earlier this month after colliding with a buffer

BBC There is a Southend Pier train at the end of the track. The photo is a close-up of the damage caused when the buffers were hit. There are wood shards and other parts of the train hanging. — One of Southend Pier’s trains was damaged earlier this month after colliding with a buffer

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

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

Southend-on-Sea Council said Bureau for Rail and Road (ORR) – the rail industry’s safety regulator – has yet to visit the site and launch an investigation, and that could be followed by a further independent investigation.

At a meeting on Monday, Matt Dent, a Labor councilor 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 investigation into this is ongoing,” he told a meeting of the investigative committee.

“Because it was a train accident, there is a national body (the ORR) that needs to be involved before we can move forward.”

During the accident on October 6, the train hit the buffers, causing shards of glass from a broken window to fly through a carriage.

The train will remain on the siding while the investigation into the accident takes place

Local Democracy Reporting Service/Martin Curtis Shards of white-painted wood from the front of the train can be seen hanging from the body. The train is standing still on the track. — The train will remain on the siding while the investigation into the accident takes place

A council spokesperson added: “The train will be out of use until the investigation is completed, for which we cannot provide a timetable.”

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

One was out of action for five months after a technical problem left passengers trapped inside when the doors didn’t open.