Alan Jones

East Midlands Railway workers represented by the RMT are set to strike over alleged safety and reliability problems with the Class 810 fleet, including faulty toilets, air conditioning, communications and doors, as well as trains becoming stranded. RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey is demanding that affected trains be removed from service until the problems are resolved. EMR says the trains have met the Office of Rail and Road’s safety requirements and that Hitachi Rail is implementing an integrated improvement plan. Hitachi says modifications, additional maintenance and testing are already under way. Services to and from London St Pancras are expected to be significantly reduced on 8 and 15 August 2026, with trains operating only between roughly 7am and 7pm.