EMR Strike Suspension Leaves Intercity Timetable at 92% of Plan

In the United Kingdom, the EMR strike suspension has cleared the planned 16–17 September walkout, while Intercity services remain at 92% of the full planned timetable.

What the suspension actually covers

The Rail, Maritime and Transport union has called off the stoppage set for 16 and 17 September. It cited substantial movement from management over faults on the Class 810 fleet. East Midlands Railway, operated by Transport UK, confirmed that a full timetable will run on both days.

The union announced those dates on 28 August. It then set out a single 24-hour stoppage, running from midday on Wednesday 16 September. Because the action straddled two dates, it touched two operating days rather than two full strike days.

Action short of strike is still in force

The operator has warned that action short of strike by RMT members remains in place. Trains may therefore still face short-notice alterations and cancellations. In addition, the union set a further instruction for Sunday 20 September. It applies if an unsolicited brake application stops a train.

Sources: RMT, 28 August 2026; RMT, 11 September 2026; East Midlands Railway, 11 September 2026.

Eddie Dempsey, general secretary of the RMT, praised members for their stance on fleet safety. He then criticised the operator’s position:

“However, it is disappointing that EMR will not accept simple union demands around unsolicited brake applications and the Aux On/Off failures.”

Intercity services still run at 92 per cent of the planned timetable

EMR introduced a temporary Intercity timetable on 20 July. Performance and reliability problems affecting the Class 810 fleet had left it unable to run a consistent service, while maintenance requirements on the existing Class 222 fleet added to the pressure. EMR’s current passenger information page says Intercity operations increased from 87% to 92% of the full planned timetable on 1 September. An earlier news release had announced the change for 31 August. The revised timetable reinstated weekday and weekend services on the Sheffield and Nottingham routes.

Shares as published by East Midlands Railway, which keeps the temporary timetable under regular review. Sources: East Midlands Railway, 12 August 2026; East Midlands Railway timetable page.

Read together with EMR’s current Intercity timetable page, the announcement means that the operator intends to run the full timetable currently advertised for 16 and 17 September, rather than restore 100% of its full planned Intercity service.

EMR also reported clear gains from the July cut. On-the-day cancellations fell from 7.6 per cent to 4.4 per cent. Punctuality within three minutes rose from 72.6 to 78.0 per cent.

Neil Grabham, interim managing director at East Midlands Railway, described the July reduction as unavoidable:

“The reduced timetable we introduced on 20 July was a difficult but necessary step to ensure we could offer a consistent and reliable service while working through the Intercity fleet challenges with Hitachi Rail, Rock Rail and other partners.”

What happens next for the Aurora fleet

The operator keeps the temporary timetable under review. Journey planners have been updated to remove cancelled weekday services for travel up to 17 October. EMR also expects the controlled introduction of Class 810 units to continue throughout 2026 and 2027. Meanwhile, Hitachi Rail is working with EMR through an integrated action plan on fleet performance and reliability.

Earlier stages of the dispute cut London services on three Saturdays in August. RMT then scheduled a 48-hour strike for 30 and 31 August. However, the two safety demands at the centre of the row remain unresolved. They cover unsolicited brake applications and Aux On/Off failures.