New train strike to spark chaos over August Bank Holiday as passengers told ‘only travel if essential’
RAIL commuters have been warned of disruption to services over the bank holiday weekend.
With strike action set to take place, a number of services will be effected on Sunday and Monday.
Travel chaos is expected at East Midlands Railway (EMR) this weekend as members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) are set to walk out in a dispute over safety.
EMR has confirmed plans for a “significantly reduced” timetable for services to and from London on both days.
It has advised passengers to check details before embarking on their journeys and to only travel if absolutely essential this bank holiday weekend.
This Sunday (August 30) will see even further disruption, with no LNER trains running between London King’s Cross and Peterborough as digital signalling upgrades are carried out by Network Rail.
EMR services to and from London St Pancras are expected to be extremely busy on Sunday, with the increase in demand coinciding with the reduced services.
Meanwhile, Sheffield station and Nottingham station will be very busy, with queues to board services set to be in place.
The strike action comes as the RMT continues to voice concerns about safety issues on some trains.
EMR said it is holding “constructive discussions” with the RMT, meeting with the union six times as it works towards resolving the issues.
Philippa Cresswell, customer experience director at EMR, said the company recognise “how frustrating this disruption will be for customers”.
“We are very sorry for the impact this will have on August bank holiday plans,” she said.
“We strongly advise customers to only travel to or from London if their journey is essential on Sunday, August 30 and Monday, August 31, and to check their full journey, including first and last trains, before setting out.”
Meanwhile, the RMT said its members have been instructed to refuse to work a Class 810 train if a list of specified faults continue, including lack of air-con, door faults, and non-working toilets.
The union’s general secretary Eddie Dempsey said it would ensure representatives will be permanently involved in discussions with both EMR and manufacturers Hitachi to try to improve the situation.
“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.
“It is now time for EMR management to act on the safety concerns of our members.”