Southend Pier and Railway Reviews Summary

Pier Condition and Maintenance

Pros:

• "The pier is in great condition and the entrance fee is completely reasonable."
• "The deck is beautifully maintained with new boards as necessary."
• "This is great! Especially with kids and family members that are not able to walk the pier! Make it’s inclusive for everyone."
• "It's a lovely walk to the far end. But sadly, there is very little to do once you're there."
• "Love it! Lovely 1.3mile walk to the end of the pier. Ice cream/drink huts, crazy golf, life boat station and an eating place. Very clean, nice food, reasonably priced and good service."
• "The pier itself is wooden and about a mile and a third long. It is a delightful walk with plenty or areas to sit if you need to."
• "We all love this train and pier. It's good to see they are renewing the pier railway as it's really rusty."
• "I walk the pier at least 3 times a year and the view never gets old! On a sunny day there is nothing better than having a long walk, an ice cream and supporting the RNLI by buying something fun in their little gift shop."

Cons:

• "But sadly, there is very little to do once you're there. We had tea and cake in the café where 'Jamie & Jimmy's Friday Night Feast' is filmed."
• "The only suggestion is to have some more varieties of food at the end of the pier(has awesome ice cream collections though!)."
• "Only downfall was very limited shops open at the end of pier."
• "Very disappointed. You get a concession rate if you are disabled - but nothing about the Pier is 'accessible'."
• "Southend council seem to have forgotten that fisherman kept the pier going in the 70’s . Now there’s no fishing signs all over the pier."
• "You can’t not love Southend Pier. It’s what makes Southend, Southend. Great views back, and well worth the walk on a nice sunny day. I just wish there was more up the end to attract visitors."
• "Clean but limited facilities - one café, one restaurant that is currently closed on a hot day in June!"
• "This pier is the longest in the world and I have to say the worst pier I have ever visited."

Train Service and Experience

Pros:

• "Brilliant and unique railway on one of the longest pier's in the UK."
• "A gentle and scenic journey to the end of the pier and back."
• "The highlight of my trip to Southend. Take the train (and return) for about £6.20 or walk for £2.50."
• "Trains run every 30mins. You can purchase tickets on site."
• "The pier invested in modern electric trains, but they broke down after days, so they still use the old engines."
• "The railway track running in parallel to the walkway adds on to the beauty."
• "Trains have been upgraded and have easy access points."
• "The train ride was bumpy and noisy as expected and the chips at the end of the journey from the hut at the end were lovely and hot."

Cons:

• "The train ride was bumpy and noisy as expected."
• "On the day I visited they were running the original wooden trains. This was nice from a heritage experience point of view, but they were extremely hot inside."
• "There is only a 50p difference between buying a return train ticket or a single."
• "Surprised to have to pay just to walk the pier, hopefully the money goes to good use? Impressed to see the new train, but it still does not seem to run that often."
• "Had to wait long for the train I think it was roughly a 20 minute wait."
• "The new trains have never worked properly since install. They were in hits when we walked past."
• "The carriage ride itself was ok nice looking out to the sea. However disappointed in the establishment no regard for the law."
• "If the weather is good, as it was for us, it gets very busy, but still enjoyable. Can get a little rowdy in the evenings due to excess alcohol and people who cannot handle their alcohol."