Published on: Wednesday, 25 April 2018
Last updated: Wednesday, 25 April 2018
Bargain tickets are now on sale for a special train ride to the beach.
The inaugural ‘Bucket and Spade’ train will run on Thursday 31st May from Billericay and Wickford stations to Southend Victoria, just a short walk to the seafront.
The tickets – priced at just £5 return for an adult and £3 return for a child - are only available online at www.esscrp.org.uk
The special Greater Anglia train will be decked-out with a seaside theme and there will be lots of fun on board.
Every child will receive a bucket and spade and an activity pack containing colouring, word games, puzzles and crayons.
The event also helps to raise money for Little Havens Children’s Hospice via raffle which will be held on the train.
Lynda Stone, Community Rail Partnership Officer for Essex County Council said, “We’ve run Bucket and Spade trains to other resorts in the past, but this is the first time to Southend. Families will be able to spend the day enjoying all that Southend has to offer and return at their leisure by any train.”
Paul Haynes, Community Partnerships Manager, Greater Anglia, said: “Southend offers so much fun for families and it’s so easy and cheap by train. We expect this trip to be a sell-out success.”
The Bucket and Spade train departs from Billericay at 10.25am and Wickford at 10.31am. The event has been organised by the Essex and South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership, which works to keep local rail lines thriving. Members of the partnership include Greater Anglia and Essex County Council.