Union confirms strikes over train safety concerns

A union has confirmed its staff members at East Midlands Railway (EMR) will take strike action over "growing safety concerns the company has failed to address".

The RMT union said it had been in dispute with EMR since April following the rollout of the 810 fleet (Aurora), which it said had been operating with a "significant number" of faults.

It said its members would take 24-hour strike action on Saturday and the following two Saturdays.

An EMR spokesperson said any suggestion that the Hitachi Rail Class 810 fleet did not meet the required safety standards was "incorrect", and added it continued "to engage in discussions with RMT regarding this dispute".

On Friday, EMR said it had been notified by RMT that members would be taking action short of a strike, from 2 to 7 August , 9 to 14 August and 16 August until further notice.

EMR said on 1, 8 and 15 August, it would operate a "significantly reduced" timetable with trains only running between 07:00 and 19:00 on its Intercity and Connect routes.

The train operator added there would be one train per hour between Nottingham and London St Pancras, Sheffield and London St Pancras as well as Corby and London St Pancras.

EMR advised customers to only travel if their journey was "essential" on Saturday 1, 8 and 15 August.

It added no rail replacement buses would be available, but regional services would not be affected.

According to the RMT, EMR has been sending trains into service that are "likely to fail and require a full reset which leaves the train with no active safety systems".

The BBC has seen an operational briefing, which informs control, signalling and operations staff about undertaking an Aux Off / Aux On reset on EMR class 810 units - which may be required to recover certain faults.

"The process takes approximately 20 minutes and results in the temporary loss of several safety-critical systems, creating an increased risk of an uncontrolled evacuation and removing the driver's normal means of communication with the signaller," it states.

Eddie Dempsey, RMT general secretary, said that the departure of Will Rogers, the managing director of EMR, on Monday, was "yet another symptom of the sense of crisis surrounding the company".

"Despite numerous attempts to resolve the dispute through talks EMR will not remove the 810s from service therefore the strikes will go ahead, and we remain available for further talks," he said.

EMR previously said there were reliability and maintenance issues with the new Aurora (Class 810) trains made by Hitachi Rail

EMR has also outlined "challenges" with both the 810s and the older Class 222s, affecting the toilets, air conditioning and catering equipment.

It added the Class 222 trains had also required "additional maintenance support to accommodate increased running and operational requirements".

The operator first introduced the Aurora trains into passenger service in December, after what EMR said was a three-year delay.

A spokesperson for East Midlands Railway said: "Any suggestion that the Hitachi Rail Class 810 fleet does not meet the required safety standards is incorrect.

"These trains entered passenger service only after successfully completing all required testing and meeting the rigorous safety standards required by the independent regulator.

"We recognise the Class 810 fleet has encountered performance and reliability issues in service and are working with the manufacturer, Hitachi Rail, to resolve these issues as quickly as possible.

"EMR continues to engage in discussions with RMT regarding this dispute."

EMR said the rollout of the new Class 810 fleet would continue "in a controlled manner" throughout the rest of the year and 2027.

A Hitachi Rail spokesperson previously said: "The Class 810 fleet has been in passenger service with East Midlands Railway since December 2025, and more than a third of the fleet has now been delivered.

"Hitachi Rail continues to work closely with all industry partners during the entry-into-service phase of the Class 810 fleet, implementing improvements and supporting the transition from the existing fleet to new Aurora trains.

"We remain focused on delivering the remainder of the fleet and supporting East Midlands Railway as more new trains enter passenger service. As part of this commitment, we are investing in additional testing activity at Long Marston Rail Innovation Centre to improve fleet introduction and delivery of the remaining trains."

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