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🇬🇧 United Kingdom /Elections & Politics

Summer rail disruption looms as trains fail and drivers ballot on strikes

From The Guardian · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Intercity rail services across Great Britain's three north-south mainlines face disruption this summer due to malfunctioning trains and potential strike action.
  • East Midlands Railway will cancel hundreds of services because of reliability issues with its new Hitachi trains, while drivers on LNER and Avanti West Coast are voting on strike action over pay disputes.
  • The issues with the new trains and maintenance of older fleets have significantly impacted EMR's ability to run a consistent service, leading to a temporary reduced timetable.

Travellers on Great Britain's key north-south intercity rail lines face a summer of potential disruption. East Midlands Railway (EMR) has announced it will cancel hundreds of services on the Midland mainline due to ongoing problems with its new Hitachi trains. The operator cited "performance and reliability issues" with its Class 810 fleet, nicknamed Auroras, and criticized Hitachi's maintenance of the older Class 222 trains that the Auroras were meant to replace.

The performance of the class 810 fleet has fallen below the levels we and our customers expect, and it is necessary to introduce a temporary reduced timetable while we work with the manufacturer, Hitachi Rail, to improve consistency in service.

— Will RogersManaging director of East Midlands Railway explaining the need for a reduced timetable due to train issues.

EMR's managing director, Will Rogers, stated that the Class 810 fleet's performance has "fallen below the levels we and our customers expect." He added that a temporary reduced timetable is necessary while working with Hitachi Rail to improve consistency. The company apologized for the "significant disruption and inconvenience" caused to customers.

Adding to the potential chaos, train drivers on two other major intercity routes are also considering strike action. The Aslef union has called a strike ballot for drivers on LNER, which connects London with Scotland, following a failed pay deal. Drivers at Avanti West Coast are also voting on strike action over pay.

We are sorry for the significant disruption and inconvenience these issues have caused our customers, and we are committed to restoring the reliable service they rightly expect.

— Will RogersManaging director of East Midlands Railway apologizing for the service disruptions.

These disruptions come after a challenging period for EMR, with investigations ongoing into a fatal crash last month involving one of its new Aurora trains. The incident, which occurred when a train apparently stopped due to a fault and was struck by another train that passed a red light, has cast a shadow over the new fleet's introduction.

The company’s failure to make a suitable offer is unacceptable and that’s why we are balloting our members for industrial action.

— Dave CalfeGeneral secretary of Aslef explaining the reason for the strike ballot on LNER.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Guardian in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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