Strike warning as Sheffield to London railway route hit by another blow
Strike threat to major Sheffield rail route
Beleaguered Sheffield rail operator East Midlands Railway is facing more problems - with the service now threatened with strike action.
East Midlands Railway (EMR) announced this week that they would be making cuts to their train service between Sheffield and London, because of problems relating to their rolling stock.
Now the Rail Maritime and Transport (RMT) union has announced plans for a strike involving its staff on the route.
RMT members working at EMR plan to take strike action on Saturday, August 1, and the following two Saturdays over what they described as growing safety concerns that the company has failed to address.
The union says it has been in dispute with EMR since April following the roll out of its latest fleet of trains - known as the 810 fleet - which it claims has been operating ‘with a significant number of faults’.
RMT claims that they have been sending trains into service that are likely to fail and require a full reset which leaves the train with no active safety systems including loss of communication between train drivers, dispatchers, and trackside which has occurred at least three times in the last week alone.
RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said that reps at EMR had been extremely patient and tried to engage with management.
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He said: “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.
EMR has been approached for comment.
Last month a train driver tragically died after a collision involved two East Midlands Railway trains.
Lines between Sheffield and London St Pancras were blocked after the incident near Bedfordshire at around 5.15pm on June 20.