UK: East Midlands Railway is operating a reduced timetable on 1, 8 and 15 August, limiting Intercity and Connect trains to one service per hour on key London routes.

East Midlands Railway Class 222 Intercity train at Nottingham station
An EMR Class 222 Intercity train at Nottingham; illustrative image, not taken during the industrial action. Cropped for 16:9. Photo: Superalbs, CC BY-SA 4.0.

The operator has advised passengers to travel only when essential and to check first and last trains before setting out. EMR’s updated passenger notice says services will start after 07:00 and finish before 19:00 on each strike day.

EMR strike timetable covers three London routes

One Intercity train per hour will run between Nottingham and London St Pancras, with the same frequency between Sheffield and London. EMR Connect will provide one train per hour between Corby and London St Pancras.

EMR Regional services are not affected by the RMT action and are scheduled to operate normally. However, no rail replacement buses will be provided for the reduced Intercity and Connect timetable.

The operator’s current strike information page lists earlier final departures than the broad 19:00 operating window might suggest. For 1 August, the last London-bound trains are shown at 16:12 from Nottingham, 16:00 from Sheffield and 17:10 from Corby.

First Class will be temporarily declassified on Intercity services during the strike timetable, allowing all passengers to use the available seating. First Class ticket holders and season-ticket customers can contact EMR about refunds for the affected dates.

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Further disruption may follow between strike days

RMT members have also announced action short of strike from 2–7 August, 9–14 August and from 16 August until further notice. EMR warned that trains may be altered or cancelled at short notice during those periods.

The dispute concerns issues raised over the introduction of the new Class 810 Aurora fleet. EMR said the trains entered passenger service only after completing the required testing and meeting safety standards set by the independent regulator.

Passengers with tickets for a strike day have additional flexibility. The National Rail service notice says tickets dated 1 August may be used from 31 July to 4 August, tickets for 8 August from 7–11 August, and tickets for 15 August from 14–18 August, subject to the stated operator exclusions.

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