Further details released about railway strike action

East Midlands Railway (EMR) has released further details about strike action set to be carried out by the RMT union.

RMT announced on Tuesday its members planned to take strike action on Saturday 1 August and the following two Saturdays over "growing safety concerns the company has failed to address".

On Friday, EMR said it had been notified by RMT that members would be taking action short of strike, from 2 to 7 August , 9 to 14 August and 16 August until further notice.

The train operator warned trains may be subject to short notice alterations and cancellations, and advised passengers to check before travelling.

EMR said on 1, 8 and 15 August it would operate a "significantly reduced" timetable with trains only running between 07:00 and 19:00 on its Intercity and Connect routes.

The train operator added there would be one train per hour between Nottingham and London St Pancras, Sheffield and London St Pancras as well as Corby and London St Pancras.

EMR advised customers to only travel if their journey was "essential" on Saturday 1, 8 and 15 August.

It added no rail replacement buses would be available, but regional services would not be affected.

The RMT union said it had been in dispute with EMR since April following the rollout of the 810 fleet (Aurora), which it said had been operating with a "significant number" of faults.

According to the RMT, EMR has been sending trains into service that are "likely to fail and require a full reset which leaves the train with no active safety systems".

The BBC has seen an operational briefing, which informs control, signalling and operations staff about undertaking an Aux Off / Aux On reset on EMR class 810 units - which may be required to recover certain faults.

"The process takes approximately 20 minutes and results in the temporary loss of several safety-critical systems, creating an increased risk of an uncontrolled evacuation and removing the driver's normal means of communication with the signaller," it states.

Eddie Dempsey, RMT general secretary, said RMT reps at EMR had been "extremely patient" and tried to engage with management.

"The company has even put out safety notices with no involvement, consultation or negotiation with our reps who represent those most at risk.

"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," he said.

Philippa Cresswell, customer experience director at East Midlands Railway, said the operator was "sorry" to customers whose journeys would be affected by industrial action.

"EMR continues to engage in constructive discussions with the RMT in the hope of resolving this dispute as quickly as possible.

"The dispute relates to concerns raised about the introduction of our new Class 810 Aurora fleet.

"Any suggestion that the trains do not meet the required safety standards is incorrect.

"The Class 810 fleet entered passenger service only after successfully completing all required testing and meeting the rigorous safety standards required by the independent regulator," Cresswell added.

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