stretches

World’s longest pleasure pier that stretches 1.3 MILES suspends top attraction due to ‘technical difficulties’

Southend Pier extending into the sea with a train running on it.

A FAMOUS UK pier that is loved by families has had to close one of its popular attractions.

Southend Pier in Southend-on-Sea is known for being the world’s longest pier, stretching over 1.3 miles long.

Southend Pier is the longest pier in the world stretching 1.3miles Credit: Alamy

And on the pier is a unique railway attraction that runs up and down the pier.

However, over the weekend the train had to be suspended due to technical difficulties.

Everything else on the pier, including the museum and gift shop, is still open, but to get to them tourists will have to walk along the pier.

The pier’s website states: “The Pier train is currently out of service and is expected to remain unavailable until at least later this week.

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​”The pier remains open as normal, and visitors are still very welcome to enjoy a walk along the world’s longest pleasure pier and visit the Pier Head.

“We apologise for any inconvenience caused.”

The railway is less than a metre wide, and runs for 1.25miles of the pier.

Services take place every half hour, from 10:30am each day.

And running from the shore to the pier head you can hop on a small train Credit: Alamy
However, services are currently suspended due to technical issues Credit: Alamy

The first transport on the pier was a horse tramway, which opened in 1872.

The horse tramway was then replaced by a single electric railway in 1890, marking the first pier railway in the country.

The following year, the pier railway was running the full length of the pier.

Later in the 1930s, the railway was expanded with four trains, each made up of seven carriages.

Today, the current carriages have been running since 2021.



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Most beautiful tunnel in the world cost £75million and stretches 15 miles

This tunnel is famous for its beautiful lighting and top air quality.

Norway has no shortage of beautiful roads. From snow capped mountains to glacial passes, a road trip through this gorgeous country means you will never be bored. It’s not just open road though – Norway is also home to one of the most beautiful tunnels in the world.

The Lærdal tunnel in West Norway is the longest road tunnel in the world, stretching 24.5 kilometres (15 miles) beneath a mountain range. It connects Aurland and Lærdal, in the heart of Sogn, and provides a ferry-free connection between Oslo and Bergen.

Construction of the tunnel began in 1995 and finished in 2000 and during construction an incredible 2,500,000 cubic meters of rock were extracted from the tunnel.

It cost a whopping £75million to construct. The tunnel is divided into four sections separated by three large caves.

The tunnel is known as one of the most beautiful in the world due to the way it has been designed to prevent driver fatigue and claustrophobia.

The main section of the tunnel is brightly lit with white lights, but each cave is lit with blue and yellow lighting around the edges to create the illusion of a sunrise.

These caves were lit with the idea of breaking up the monotony of the tunnel and allow drivers a short break.

The caves also work as turnaround points during the 20-minute journey.

There is also a rumble strip in each lane which stops drivers becoming inattentive and drifting.

At every kilometre, a sign lets you know how far you have travelled through the cave and how much further you have to go.

One of the other impressive things about the Lærdal Tunnel is that it is the first in the world to be equipped with an air treatment plant.

This plant can be found in a cavern 100 metres wide and it removes both dust and nitrogen dioxide from the tunnel air.

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