The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union announced fresh strike dates for members working at East Midlands Railway (EMR) over unresolved safety concerns with the new Aurora fleet of Class 810 trains.
Safety Concerns and Train Faults
Since the introduction of the Class 810 Aurora trains in December 2025, RMT union members have reported multiple faults affecting train safety systems. Among the issues cited are communications failures between train drivers, dispatchers, and trackside, broken air conditioning, malfunctioning doors, faulty toilets, and incidents where trains were stranded on tracks. The union reported that 16 trains in operation required a full auxiliary reset before the scheduled strikes,
resulting in temporarily inactivated safety mechanisms.
RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey criticized the persistence of the faults and demanded immediate removal of the affected trains from service until they operate safely. He 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.”
Strike Dates and Previous Industrial Actions
The union scheduled a 48-hour strike starting at 00:01 BST on August 30 until 23:59 BST August 31, covering the bank holiday weekend of 2026. This
is followed by a 24-hour strike on September 16, 2026. Prior to these strikes, RMT members conducted three separate 24-hour strikes on Saturdays throughout August and engaged in action short of strike, which included refusing to operate the Class 810 trains.
Responses from East Midlands Railway and Hitachi Rail
East Midlands Railway maintains that no safety-critical faults have been identified on the Class 810 trains that would prevent adherence to regulatory passenger service standards. EMR stated it has held six constructive meetings with union representatives to discuss safety concerns and is collaborating with Hitachi Rail to resolve technical issues impacting the fleet. Philippa Cresswell, EMR customer experience director,
acknowledged customer disruption due to strike action, especially over the August bank holiday, stating, “We understand how important it is for our customers to have certainty about their travel plans and recognise the uncertainty and disruption this strike action will cause, particularly over the August bank holiday. Our teams are currently working through the detail of our service plan and assessing what services we will be able to operate on the affected days.” Hitachi Rail increased its capacity for modifications and testing to address faults on the fleet.
Impact on Passenger Services and Service Planning
East Midlands Railway reported that regional services will not be affected by
the strike action. However, Intercity services operated by EMR already faced reductions in July 2026 due to reliability problems with the Class 810 trains. EMR announced it will reinstate some previously cancelled Intercity services from late August. The scheduled strikes during the bank holiday weekend and mid-September are expected to cause disruptions, as EMR finalizes service plans for those dates.
