A union representing railway staff has announced plans for members at East Midlands Railway (EMR) to strike over what it calls growing safety concerns that the company has failed to address. The RMT union has said the dispute with EMR began in April after the rollout of the Hitachi Rail Class 810 fleet, also known as Aurora, which it says has operated with a significant number of faults. Members are slated to strike on Saturday 1 August and the following two Saturdays.
EMR rejected claims that the Class 810 fleet did not meet safety standards, saying such statements were incorrect and that management remained engaged in discussions with the RMT regarding the dispute. The operator has said reliability and maintenance issues with the Aurora trains have been to blame, and it noted challenges with both the 810s and the older Class 222s affecting toilets, air conditioning and catering equipment. EMR first introduced the Aurora trains into passenger service in December after a three-year delay.
The RMT has argued that EMR trains are being sent into service likely to fail and require a full reset, which can leave the train with no active safety systems. An internal operational briefing seen by the BBC describes procedures to perform an Aux Off / Aux On reset on the Class 810 units, a process that takes about 20 minutes and can temporarily remove several safety-critical systems and hinder the driver’s communication with the signaller. RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said reps at EMR have been “extremely patient” and have tried to engage with management, adding that safety notices had been issued without involvement of the unions representing rail workers.
He argued that until these faults are resolved, the trains should be taken out of service. EMR emphasized that the Class 810 fleet entered passenger service after successfully completing required testing and meeting safety standards, and it said it was working with Hitachi Rail to address performance and reliability issues as quickly as possible. The company said the rollout of the 810 fleet would proceed in a controlled manner through the rest of the year and into 2027.
Hitachi Rail noted that more than a third of the 810 fleet had been delivered and that the trains have been in passenger service since December 2025, with ongoing collaboration to improve fleet introduction and support the transition from the existing fleet to Aurora trains. The manufacturer also indicated additional testing activity would continue at the Long Marston Rail Innovation Centre to support the delivery of the remaining trains.
