Industrial action is set to hit East Midlands Railway (EMR) after the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) confirmed a series of one-day strikes over ongoing safety concerns surrounding the operator’s new Class 810 trains.<\/p>\n
Train managers represented by the union will strike on 1, 8 and 15 August after more than 97% of members who voted backed industrial action.<\/p>\n
The dispute has been running since April, with the RMT claiming EMR has failed to address concerns over the reliability and operation of the Hitachi-built bi-mode fleet.<\/p>\n
The union alleges the trains can suffer faults that require a full system reset, temporarily disabling key onboard safety systems, including communication between drivers, onboard staff and trackside personnel.<\/p>\n
According to the RMT, the issue has occurred on multiple occasions in recent days.<\/p>\n
Internal operational guidance instructs staff to implement additional safety procedures if a reset is required, including notifying signallers, securing line blocks, identifying vulnerable passengers and maintaining communication with those onboard while systems are restored.<\/p>\n
The Class 810 fleet, introduced to replace EMR’s ageing Class 222 trains, entered passenger service in December 2025 following a delay of almost two years.<\/p>\n
The prolonged rollout has increased pressure on the existing fleet, while both train types have experienced reliability issues this year, contributing to cancellations, delays and overcrowding.<\/p>\n
The strike announcement comes shortly after EMR introduced a temporary reduced timetable in response to ongoing operational challenges.<\/p>\n
Eddie Dempsey, RMT General Secretary said: \u201cThe company has even put out safety notices with no involvement, consultation or negotiation with our reps who represent those most at risk. 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
EMR has rejected suggestions that the fleet is unsafe, stating the trains met all regulatory requirements before entering service.<\/p>\n
An EMR spokesperson said: \u201cAny 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.<\/p>\n
“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.”<\/p>\n
Manufacturer Hitachi Rail said it will continue working with EMR and industry partners to improve reliability as the new Aurora fleet is introduced across the network.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Rail staff will walk out on three days in August as safety concerns over the operator’s new train fleet continue to intensify<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":266702,"featured_media":2113049,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47996],"coauthors":[127717],"class_list":["post-2113046","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-transport","tag-east-midlands","tag-featured-story"],"yoast_head":"\n