East Midlands Railway (EMR) has warned of severe disruption at London St Pancras this Bank Holiday weekend, with a "significantly reduced" service expected due to strike action by RMT members.
The workers are protesting over the safety of Class 810 'Aurora' trains. Japanese firm Hitachi states the new fleet has been hit by technical issues affecting onboard services since their introduction last December, according to Metro.
Union calls for removal of faulty trains
RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey has called on EMR to remove 810 trains with known faults from operations. He added: "It is now time for EMR management to act on the safety concerns of our members."
RMT has told drivers and train staff not to work on the trains if certain issues are not resolved, such as lack of air conditioning, door problems and unusable toilets.
Signalling upgrades add to disruption
The strike coincides with planned signalling upgrades on the East Coast Mainline this weekend, with no LNER trains expected between King's Cross and Peterborough. The reduced schedule is also thought to lead to queues for EMR services at Nottingham and Sheffield.
Philippa Cresswell, customer experience director at EMR, said: "We recognise how frustrating this disruption will be for customers, particularly following the three Saturdays affected by RMT strike action earlier this month, and we are very sorry for the impact this will have on August bank holiday plans."
She added: "We continue to have constructive discussions with the RMT and have met with the union six times as we work towards resolving the issues at the heart of this dispute. We strongly advise customers to only travel to or from London if their journey is essential on Sunday 30 and Monday August 31, and to check their full journey, including first and last trains, before setting out."
