East Midlands Railway (EMR) has been directed by the UK government to take immediate steps to enhance its operational performance ahead of planned renationalisation by the end of 2027.
Service issues and strike action since 2025
Since December 2025, EMR has faced extensive delays, cancellations, and overcrowding caused by persistent problems with its new Aurora (Class 810) trains manufactured by Hitachi Rail. These fleet difficulties led EMR to reduce its Intercity timetable on routes including London St Pancras to 87% from July 2026. In July 2026, members of the RMT union also conducted strike action over service and safety concerns. EMR’s managing director resigned amid these ongoing
challenges.
Service restoration timeline and contract details
EMR incrementally restored Intercity services, raising operation levels to 92% on 1 September 2026. The operator plans to increase this further to 96% from 19 October 2026. The current franchise contract’s core term expires on 18 October 2026, allowing the government to initiate the transfer of EMR into public ownership at that point. The full renationalisation is expected to complete by the end of 2027.
Government plans for rail reform and cost savings
The Department for Transport (DfT) has positioned EMR’s transfer as part of broader rail reforms under Great British Railways (GBR), which will unify train operation and track management. The government states this will reverse
30 years of fragmentation and inefficiency, improving passenger services and aiming to save £150 million annually by eliminating payments to private operators. Great Anglia and South Western Railway are already publicly owned, while Avanti West Coast services are scheduled for nationalisation from March 2027.
Official statements and stakeholder views
A DfT spokesperson said, “In the meantime, we’ve been clear that privately operated EMR needs to do everything they can to resolve the issues as quickly as possible to minimise the impact and give passengers a more reliable service.” However, EMR stated it had not yet received formal notice of the transfer date from the government
and is working closely with Hitachi Rail and the DfT to restore full service levels.
Railfuture’s East Midlands branch secretary Steve Jones commented, “The hope is that, what this will bring about, is much better coordination and integration across the network to the benefit of passengers and freight.” Labour MP for Rushcliffe James Naish criticized extended contracts with underperforming operators as a disincentive for improvement, citing a “pretty shocking summer for EMR” involving new train problems, safety issues, and strikes.
Conservative MP Neil O’Brien expressed skepticism about public ownership resolving current challenges, stating, “They won’t have any more trains, they
won’t be any closer to fixing the massive problems that my constituents are experiencing every single day.”
Passenger impact and future outlook
Passengers on EMR have endured cancellations, overcrowding, and delays throughout 2026 due to the Class 810 train performance and maintenance issues. The progressive restoration from 87% to a planned 96% of the Intercity timetable aims to improve service availability on routes including London St Pancras. Renationalisation completion by the end of 2027 aligns with government goals to boost infrastructure and reduce fragmentation across the UK rail network.
