Passengers are being warned that all East Midlands Trains services are being cancelled on Wednesday, October 5, due to strike action and there will be no services east of Nottingham for the next four days.
Members of the drivers’ union Aslef, the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA), RMT and Unite are walking out across the country in their long-running dispute over pay, jobs and conditions.
Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan said strikes would continue until the Government intervened – and urged Transport Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan to “lift the shackles” from train companies to make a pay offer to workers.
He said: “The message I am receiving from my members is that they are in this for the long haul and if anything they want industrial action to be increased.”
As well as Wednesday’s action by drivers, passengers who want to travel from Nottingham to Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire should make other plans from Wednesday up to and including Saturday.
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East Midlands Railway managing director Will Rogers said: “As a result of strike action being taken by multiple unions across the country, we will be operating a significantly reduced service on strike days.
“In addition, we will unfortunately not be able to operate any trains on Wednesday 5 October, and from Thursday up to and including Saturday, we cannot operate any regional services east out of Nottingham.
"We have worked hard to provide as many services as safely possible but it is a complicated situation with our timetables being impacted differently depending on which union is on strike.
“That is why we are advising customers to plan ahead and only travel by rail if absolutely necessary on strike days. Customers are also strongly advised to check when the time of their last train is before setting off.
"More detailed advice, including daily travel information, is available on our website."
Other operators affected by the October 5 strike include Avanti West Coast, Chiltern, CrossCountry, Greater Anglia (including Stansted Express), Great Western, Hull Trains, LNER, London Overground, Northern Trains, Southeastern, Transpennine Express and West Midlands Trains.
On Thursday, October 6, action by Unite members who mainly work in EMR’s rail depots, means Intercity services will stop at 6.30pm. During the day there will be one train per hour between Nottingham and London and between Sheffield and London. EMR Connect services between Corby and London will maintain a normal timetable of two trains an hour.
Local EMR Regional services on Thursday will also stop at 6.30pm and will be restricted through the day. A slightly reduced service will be provided on the Robin Hood Line.
Restrictions will continue through Friday and Saturday and a full service is expected to operate on Sunday, with a slightly later start up first thing in the morning as a result of the strike action the day before.
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