Good news for anyone who’s spent the summer nervously refreshing train apps: East Midlands Railway is putting more trains back on the tracks.
After introducing a reduced timetable in July because of problems with its new fleet and ongoing maintenance issues with older trains, EMR says it’s now in a position to restore some of the services passengers have been missing.
From August 31, the operator will increase its Intercity timetable from 87% to 92% of normal levels, bringing back a number of trains on its busy East Midlands routes.
The cuts were originally introduced after reliability issues with Hitachi’s new Class 810 trains, alongside maintenance demands on EMR’s existing fleet, led to disruption across the Midland Main Line. Rather than continue battling cancellations, EMR scaled back services to create a timetable it could reliably run.
And, by all accounts, the strategy has worked.
The rail operator says the trimmed timetable has helped reduce last-minute cancellations and improve reliability, paving the way for more trains to return later this month.
Among the biggest changes are the return of five weekday and three weekend Sheffield services, plus three weekday and one weekend Nottingham service that had previously been scrapped altogether.
Neil Grabham, EMR’s Interim Managing Director, described the reduced timetable as a “difficult but necessary” move but said it had delivered the stability the company was aiming for.
While work continues with train manufacturer Hitachi to improve the performance of the new fleet, EMR says restoring services now is an important step towards getting back to normal.
For passengers, that means more travel options and, hopefully, a little less uncertainty when planning a trip.
If you’re travelling on or after August 31, it’s worth double-checking your journey before setting off, as timetable updates are still being added to booking systems. Anyone whose booked service has changed can travel on the nearest available train before or after their original departure, while customers who choose not to travel can claim a full refund.
