Warning of major disruption over Bank Holiday weekend on London trains because of strikes

EMR has warned passengers of severe disruption at St Pancras Station this Bank Holiday (Alamy/PA) Shaun Wilson 1 minute ago COMMENTS One of London's biggest rail stations is set to run a "significantly reduced" service over the Bank Holiday due to strike action.

East Midlands Railway (EMR) states its routes from London St Pancras will be affected by walkouts from RMT members.

The workers are protesting over the safety of Class 810 ‘Aurora’ trains. Japanese firm Hitachi states the new fleet has been hit by technical issues affecting onboard services following their introduction last December, Metro reports .

RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey has called on EMR to remove 810 trains with known faults from operations.

He added: "It is now time for EMR management to act on the safety concerns of our members."

RMT has now told drivers and train staff not to work on the trains if certain issues are not resolved, such as lack of air conditioning, door problems and unusable toilets.

The strike comes alongside planned signalling upgrades on the East Coast Mainline this weekend, with no LNER trains expected between King’s Cross and Peterborough.

It is thought the reduced schedule will also lead to queues for EMR services at Nottingham and Sheffield.

Philippa Cresswell, customer experience director at EMR, said: "We recognise how frustrating this disruption will be for customers, particularly following the three Saturdays affected by RMT strike action earlier this month, and we are very sorry for the impact this will have on August bank holiday plans.

"We continue to have constructive discussions with the RMT and have met with the union six times as we work towards resolving the issues at the heart of this dispute.

"We strongly advise customers to only travel to or from London if their journey is essential on Sunday 30 and Monday August 31, and to check their full journey, including first and last trains, before setting out."