The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union has been in dispute with East Midlands Railway (EMR) since April 2026 over a new fleet of Aurora Class 810 trains, which the union claims have numerous faults affecting operational safety.
RMT union members plan a 48-hour strike from 00:01 BST on August 30 to 23:59 on August 31, 2026, coinciding with the August bank holiday weekend, followed by a 24-hour strike from 00:01 BST to 11:59 BST on September 16, 2026. This follows three separate Saturday strikes undertaken by the union in August 2026.
The RMT union reports that sixteen Class 810
trains require a full auxiliary reset, causing loss of safety systems including communication failures between drivers, dispatchers, and trackside staff. Other faults cited by the union include issues with toilets, air conditioning, train doors, and trains stranded on tracks.
East Midlands Railway maintains that no safety-critical faults have been identified that prevent the new Aurora trains, brought into service in December 2025, from meeting regulatory passenger service requirements.
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.” EMR customer experience director Philippa Cresswell stated, “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.”
EMR has held six meetings with RMT representatives and describes the discussions as constructive. The operator is working with Hitachi Rail, the train manufacturer, which has increased capacity for modifications and testing to resolve the train faults. Due to reliability issues with the Class 810
trains, EMR reduced service levels in July 2026 but plans to reinstate some cancelled intercity routes from the end of August.
EMR confirmed that its regional services will not be affected by the strike action. The company is currently evaluating which services will operate on the strike days to manage disruption.
