Strike action by members of drivers’ union ASLEF took place on EMR and LNER services on Saturday 2 December, which forms part of a programme of industrial action affecting 16 train companies between Friday 1 and Saturday 9 December.
As a result, East Midlands Railway did not operate services on any of its routes on Saturday 2 December.
Between 4 and 9 December EMR will be operating a full timetable and we look forward to welcoming you on our services. On these days there may be some late notice cancellations and changes to train times due to an overtime ban. Some trains will also be busier than usual. We advise you to regularly check our website or app to ensure you have the latest information for your journey.
On Friday 8 December services are expected to be extremely busy between Liverpool Lime Street and Norwich. Please check your full journey before travelling.
Please check your full journey before travelling as strike action is affecting different train operators on different days between 1 and 9 December. We also advise you to check first and last trains of the day and the day after strike action for any service alterations.
Journey planners for Friday 1 to Saturday 9 December are updated online.
Service information
We are expecting to run a normal timetable on Thursday 7 December however, trains are subject to short-notice alterations and cancellations. Please check online journey planners before travelling.
Strike action is taking place across other train operators on CrossCountry, Great Western Railway and Heathrow Express. Please check your full journey before travelling.
As a result of the strike action, our services are expected to be exceptionally busy between Nottingham and Derby, Sheffield and Derby and Peterborough and Ely.
Customers will face extended journey times and you may not be able to board the service you planned for. You should expect queues and longer journey times.
We are expecting to run a normal timetable on our Intercity, Connect and Regional routes with the exception of our Liverpool to Norwich route on Friday 8 December however, trains are subject to short-notice alterations and cancellations. Please check online journey planners before travelling.
Customers are advised that services are expected to be extremely busy between Liverpool Lime Street and Norwich. Please check your full journey before travelling.
Strike action is taking place across other train operators, Northern and TransPennine Express. We do expect services along this route will be exceptionally busy and we are working to increase capacity where possible. Some stations will not be served due to platform capacity limitations. Services will not be calling at Dronfield, Ilkeston, Langley Mill, Widnes, Warrington Central or Liverpool South Parkway. Customers will face extended journey times and you may not be able to board the service you planned for. You should expect queues and longer journey times.
View the Liverpool to Norwich timetable for Friday 8 December
We are expecting to run a normal timetable on Saturday 9 December however, trains are subject to short notice alterations and cancellations. Please check online journey planners before travelling.
FAQs for strike days
If you have purchased an Advance, Anytime or Off-Peak ticket for travel between Saturday 2 - Friday 8 December, you can instead use your tickets any time between Friday 1 December up until Tuesday 12 December. Tickets must have been purchased before 17 November.
The time period of Saturday 2 - Friday 8 December is due to strike action of all train operators.
If the ticket is for a journey that includes the London Underground, it will not be valid on London Underground services on an alternative date.
Season tickets cannot be extended, if you are thinking about purchasing a weekly season ticket, you will need to check a weekly season ticket is still the best value for you.
If your train is cancelled or delayed or you choose not to travel due to strike action, tickets can be changed to another date, or they can be returned for a full refund at your point of purchase. No administration fee will be charged.
If you purchased your ticket from EMR online, you can apply for your refund here. If you purchased your ticket from an EMR station, please return to the station within 28 days of the travel date for a refund. Find out more about applying for a refund.
If you purchased your ticket from another provider, you will need to approach them directly.
Alternatively, you are entitled to a fee-free change of journey if your train is cancelled, delayed or rescheduled after booking.
If you have a Season ticket (Flexi, monthly or longer) and you do not travel you can claim 100% compensation through Delay Repay for strike days.
To claim Delay Repay select 'strike action' on the claim form. Find out more about Delay Repay.
If you have a Flexi ticket and would normally travel on a date now affected by strike action or the overtime ban, you may choose to travel on an alternative date within the validity of your Flexi Season Ticket instead. If you choose not to travel, or cannot travel on an alternative date within your ticket's validity, you can activate a day's travel pass on your tickets then claim delay repay, selecting 'strike action' on the claim form. Find out more about Delay Repay.
Please note tickets not activated on the strike date will not be able to claim delay repay and will only be able to claim any unused tickets before the expiry date of the ticket under the usual terms and conditions.
Weekly season tickets which have not started yet can be refunded, a £10 admin fee may apply.
To make sure that a Weekly season ticket is the best value for you, if you’re unable to travel during industrial action use National Rail Enquiries handy season ticket calculator here .
If you have an unused Return ticket, or return journey formed of 2 single tickets, and do not/ cannot make your outward journey because of the strike, you are entitled to a refund on your journey, even if the return journey is not affected by a strike. The same will be true if the return journey is planned for a day affected by a strike but the outward is not.
EMR will still offer booked Passenger Assistance in line with their current policy of 2 hour booking window.
EMR will proactively contact customers who have booked assistance on the services that are affected and will be offered a refund or the chance to reschedule their journey. We expect that trains running on strike days/ overtime ban days to be extremely busy and crowded. Our team will be available to assist all customers during the affected dates. Find out more and discuss your options here.
Advance tickets have been withdrawn from sale.