Rail firm outlines ongoing problems with trains

East Midlands Railway (EMR) has released more details about the problems with its fleet of trains which prompted it to reduce services.

Last week, the company said that reliability and maintenance issues with the new Aurora (Class 810) trains - made by Hitachi Rail - were to blame.

Now EMR has outlined "challenges" with both the 810s and the older Class 222s, affecting the toilets, air conditioning and catering equipment.

It added that the Class 222 trains had also required "additional maintenance support to accommodate increased running and operational requirements".

The operator first introduced the Aurora trains into passenger service in December, after what EMR said was a three-year delay.

Several Intercity services, which run to and from London St Pancras, have been cancelled because of problems with the new fleet, while other services will have fewer carriages.

Will Rogers, managing director of EMR, said the performance of the Class 810 fleet had "fallen below the levels we and our customers expect" and that the timetable change was "necessary".

The Intercity services run between London and destinations including Leicester, Nottingham, Lincoln, Derby and Sheffield.

EMR did not say how long the timetable changes would be in place for but said in a statement they would remain in place while "EMR works with the manufacturer, Hitachi Rail, to resolve disruption for customers as soon as possible".

South Yorkshire's mayor Oliver Coppard said passengers were "facing a summer of chaos".

He said: "Apparently this is a temporary measure but we have no idea for how long. There is never a good reason to treat passengers with so much contempt as to communicate that information so late and so poorly."

EMR said the rollout of the new Class 810 fleet would continue "in a controlled manner" throughout the rest of the year and 2027.

A Hitachi Rail spokesperson said: "The Class 810 fleet has been in passenger service with East Midlands Railway since December 2025 and more than a third of the fleet has now been delivered.

"Hitachi Rail continues to work closely with all industry partners during the entry-into-service phase of the Class 810 fleet, implementing improvements and supporting the transition from the existing fleet to new Aurora trains.

"We remain focused on delivering the remainder of the fleet and supporting East Midlands Railway as more new trains enter passenger service. As part of this commitment, we are investing in additional testing activity at Long Marston Rail Innovation Centre to improve fleet introduction and delivery of the remaining trains."

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