Services from a major London railway station are to be ‘significantly reduced’ over the Bank Holiday due to strike action. East Midlands Railway (EMR) has warned passengers that its services from London St Pancras will be extremely busy as RMT members walk out in a dispute over safety.
Widespread disruption expected
The industrial action comes alongside programmed disruption on the East Coast Mainline this weekend, with no LNER trains set to run between King’s Cross and Peterborough on Sunday due to signalling upgrade works. Passengers can also expect to queue for EMR services at Nottingham and Sheffield because of the reduced schedule.
RMT’s dispute relates to concerns over the safety of Class 810 ‘Aurora’ trains. Manufactured by Japanese firm Hitachi, the fleet first entered service last December, but has since been plagued with technical issues affecting some of the onboard services.
Union demands action
The union has now instructed its drivers and train staff to refuse to work on the trains if certain issues are not addressed including a lack of air-conditioning, door faults and out-of-order toilets.
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.’
He added: ‘Customers in Scotland, the North East, and Yorkshire travelling to or from London, and are yet to purchase a ticket and would normally travel with LNER, are strongly encouraged to follow LNER’s travel advice and use their replacement bus service.’
Safety concerns raised
RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey called for 810 trains with faults to be taken out of service. ‘It is now time for EMR management to act on the safety concerns of our members’, he said.
