Railway strike with 24 hour walk out to go ahead on Saturday

File photo dated 02/12/23 of East Midlands Railway trains at a depot in Derby. Workers at East Midlands Railway (EMR) are to strike in a dispute over safety. Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) will walk out on August 1. The union said it has been in dispute with EMR since April, claiming there are problems with some trains. Joe Giddens/PA Wire

A strike by workers on East Midlands Railway will go ahead on Saturday after talks failed to resolve a dispute over safety.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union will walk out for 24 hours, and again on August 8 and 15.

The dispute centres on the rollout of the 810 fleet, which the union claims has been operating with a number of faults.

The company denied the claims.

RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said: “Despite numerous attempts to resolve the dispute through talks, EMR will not remove the 810s from service, therefore the strikes will go ahead and we remain available for further talks.”

An East Midlands Railway spokesperson said: “Any suggestion that the Hitachi Rail Class 810 fleet does not meet the required safety standards is incorrect.

“These trains entered passenger service only after successfully completing all required testing and meeting the rigorous safety standards required by the independent regulator.

“We recognise the Class 810 fleet has encountered performance and reliability issues in service and are working with the manufacturer, Hitachi Rail, to resolve these issues as quickly as possible.

“EMR continues to engage in discussions with RMT regarding this dispute.”