Rail workers at East Midlands Railway (EMR) who are members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) have voted for strike action in response to safety concerns linked to the Hitachi-built Class 810 trains involved in the fatal collision outside Bedford on 19 June.
What happened near Bedford
The collision occurred close to Elstow, south of Bedford, when a Nottingham-to-London Class 810 service came to an unplanned stop after a safety-system fault and was subsequently struck from behind by another train on the Corby-to-London route. The incident resulted in the death of a 60-year-old driver, Shaun Burton, and left 162 passengers and crew injured. The scale of the emergency response prompted a major on-scene operation.
Strike dates and union action
RMT members responsible for onboard operations and passenger safety have set the first day of industrial action for 1 August. Further stoppages are scheduled for the two following Saturdays. The ballot and announced dates indicate growing frustration among staff over perceived ongoing faults on the Class 810 fleet and the railway operator's handling of reliability and maintenance issues.
- Incident: Collision near Elstow, 19 June
- Casualties: 1 fatality (driver Shaun Burton); 162 injured
- Action: Strikes starting 1 August; additional Saturday strikes planned
Operator response and wider impact
An EMR spokesperson acknowledged continuing problems, saying the operator had been affected by “ongoing service reliability and maintenance issues on both fleets”, and that this had impeded its capacity to run a dependable Intercity service. In recent weeks EMR has cut around half of its services on the Sheffield–London St Pancras route as a result of those problems.
“ongoing service reliability and maintenance issues on both fleets”
The Class 810 trains, built by Hitachi Rail and introduced after a multi-year delay, have been at the centre of concerns about faults since entering traffic last December. The decision by RMT members to take industrial action reflects mounting anxiety among staff and passengers about the safety and reliability of those units.
What this means for Bedford travellers
Passengers using EMR services to or from Bedford should prepare for disruption on the strike days, and check EMR timetables and travel advice in the run-up to 1 August. The combination of reduced services and industrial action is likely to affect journeys along intercity corridors that serve Bedford and the wider region.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 19 June | Collision near Elstow; 1 driver killed, 162 injured |
| 1 August | First day of RMT strike action at EMR |
| Following two Saturdays | Further strikes planned |
Local people and organisations continue to await further details from the Rail Accident Investigation Branch, and from EMR and Hitachi about the technical causes of the failure that led to the collision. In the meantime, the announcement of strike action underlines continuing tensions between staff safety concerns and operators' efforts to restore a reliable timetable.
InfoRadar will provide updates as more information and official statements become available.
