East Midlands Railway (EMR) has warned of significant disruption to its services over the August bank holiday weekend due to strike action by members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) over safety disputes. The strike is scheduled for Sunday and bank holiday Monday, leading to a substantially reduced timetable to and from London on both days. The company advises passengers to only make essential journeys and to check the status of their full journey before setting out.
Strike Action and Reduced Timetables
The RMT union has instructed its members at EMR to strike on Sunday 30 and Monday 31 August. The industrial action stems from concerns about safety issues on certain trains, particularly the Class 810 units. The union has drawn up a list of faults, including lack of air-conditioning, door faults, and non-working toilets, and has instructed members to refuse to work these trains unless the issues are resolved.
EMR has stated that it is continuing to have 'constructive discussions' with the union and has met with representatives six times in an attempt to resolve the dispute. Philippa Cresswell, customer experience director at EMR, said: 'We recognise how frustrating this disruption will be for customers, particularly following the three Saturdays affected by RMT strike action earlier this month, and we are very sorry for the impact this will have on August bank holiday plans.'
Additional Disruption on LNER Services
In addition to the strike, there will be no LNER trains between London King's Cross and Peterborough on Sunday due to Network Rail carrying out digital signalling upgrades. This will add further pressure to the rail network, with EMR services to and from London St Pancras expected to be extremely busy. Passengers traveling to events such as the Reading and Leeds festivals or London's Notting Hill Carnival may face significant delays.
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.'
Unsettled Weather Forecast for the Weekend
The Met Office has also warned that the bank holiday will mark a 'transition from late-summer sunshine to a more unsettled pattern.' Over the course of the week, there is the potential for heavy rain, thunderstorms, and localised flooding, making it worthwhile keeping up to date with the latest forecast as details become clearer.
Looking ahead to the bank holiday weekend, another area of low pressure is forecast to approach from the Atlantic. There may be a brief respite from the unsettled conditions early on Saturday, but further spells of rain and showers are likely to develop as the weekend progresses. North-western areas currently appear most likely to experience the driest conditions.
Travelers are advised to plan ahead, check the latest travel updates, and consider alternative arrangements where possible. The combination of strike action, engineering works, and adverse weather is expected to cause significant disruption for those planning to travel over the bank holiday weekend.
