If you’re heading to London this Bank Holiday weekend, you might want a backup plan.
East Midlands Railway (EMR) has warned passengers to only travel if their journey is “absolutely essential” after fresh RMT strike action led to a drastically reduced timetable on Sunday 30 August and Monday 31 August.
And as if that wasn’t enough, there’ll also be no LNER trains between London King’s Cross and Peterborough on Sunday because of Network Rail engineering work, meaning even more people are expected to pile onto already-limited EMR services.
The result? Expect packed trains, queues at stations and standing-room-only journeys for anyone travelling between Nottingham, Sheffield and London.
Nottingham and Sheffield stations expected to be ‘extremely busy’
EMR says services between Sheffield, Nottingham and London St Pancras are likely to be “extremely busy” throughout the Bank Holiday weekend.
Queueing systems will be in place at both Sheffield station and London St Pancras, while passengers have been warned they may not be able to board their intended train or get a seat.
The operator is urging passengers to leave extra time, check their journeys carefully and, if possible, travel on Saturday or Tuesday instead.
What trains are actually running?
On both Sunday 30 August and Monday 31 August:
- One train per hour between Nottingham and London St Pancras
- One train per hour between Sheffield and London St Pancras
- One train per hour between Corby and London St Pancras
Services won’t start until around 8am and will finish before 7pm.
There will be no replacement buses provided by EMR during the strike action.
LNER passengers told not to switch to EMR
With no LNER trains running between King’s Cross and Peterborough on Sunday because of engineering works, EMR is warning LNER customers not to simply switch to its services.
Instead, passengers are being told to travel via Bedford using Thameslink services before connecting with rail replacement buses to Peterborough.
EMR fears a surge of diverted passengers could make already crowded trains even busier.
Another blow after weeks of disruption
The latest strike action comes after three Saturdays of disruption earlier this month, with EMR admitting the timing will be especially frustrating for passengers hoping to make the most of the August Bank Holiday.
Philippa Cresswell, EMR’s Customer Experience Director, said the operator was “very sorry” for the impact on customers’ plans and confirmed talks with the RMT are continuing.
She said: “Services will be significantly reduced and are expected to be extremely busy, with queuing systems in place at London St Pancras and Sheffield and the possibility of standing room only.”
More strikes are already planned
The disruption may not end with the Bank Holiday weekend.
RMT members are also due to strike on Wednesday, September 16 and Thursday, September 17, with EMR still assessing the impact on services.
So if you’ve got a London trip planned anytime soon, you might want to keep a very close eye on the timetable.
