Bank holiday travel plans could be disrupted by strike action on East Midlands Railway (EMR) services and unsettled weather, as the three-day weekend approaches. The disruptions may affect those travelling to Reading and Leeds festivals and London's Notting Hill Carnival.
Strike action over safety disputes
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) at East Midlands Railway will strike on Sunday and bank holiday Monday over safety disputes. The company will run a 'significantly reduced' timetable to and from London on both days and has recommended passengers only make essential journeys on these days, and to check the status of their journey before setting out.
There will also be no LNER trains between London King's Cross and Peterborough on Sunday as Network Rail carries out digital signalling upgrades. Because of this, and the strike action, EMR services to and from London St Pancras are expected to be extremely busy.
Unsettled weather forecast
The Met Office has warned the bank holiday will mark a 'transition from late-summer sunshine to a more unsettled pattern'. Over the course of the week, 'there is […] the potential for heavy rain, thunderstorms and localised flooding, making it worthwhile keeping up to date with the latest forecast as details become clearer,' the forecaster said.
'Looking ahead to the Bank Holiday weekend, another area of low pressure is forecast to approach from the Atlantic. There may be a brief respite from the unsettled conditions early on Saturday, but further spells of rain and showers are likely to develop as the weekend progresses. North-western areas currently appear most likely to experience the driest conditions.'
Union and company response
RMT has said it has concerns about safety issues on some trains. EMR said it is continuing to have 'constructive discussions' with the union and has met with representatives six times in a bid to resolve the issue.
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. 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.'
The union said its members have been instructed to refuse to work a Class 810 train if a list of faults it has drawn up, including lack of air-con, door faults and non-working toilets, are not resolved. RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said: 'RMT is demanding that whilst these faults exist and until these trains are shown to be operating properly, they should be taken out of service. It is now time for EMR management to act on the safety concerns of our members.'
