Strike information

ASLEF, the trade union representing train drivers, has announced strike action on EMR services Friday 5 April and therefore we will be unable to run any trains on this day.

An overtime ban between Thursday 4 and Saturday 6 April and between Monday 8 and Tuesday 9 April, affecting EMR services.

Other train operators will be impacted on the following dates:

Friday 5 April: Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway

Saturday 6 April: Chiltern Railways, Great Western Railway, Heathrow Express, LNER, Northern and TransPennine Express

Monday 8 April: c2c, Greater Anglia (including Stansted Express), Great Northern, Thameslink, Southeastern, Southern, Gatwick Express and South Western Railway (including Island Line)

East Midlands Railway will not operate services on any of its routes on Friday 5 April. There will be short notice cancellations and alterations due to an overtime ban between Thursday 4 and Saturday 6 April and between Monday 8 and Tuesday 9 April.

Customers are advised to check their full journey, including first and last trains, before travelling due to strike action impacting multiple train operators on different days. We also advise you to check and the day after strike action for any service alterations.

Journey Planners for all EMR services are updated online.

Strike information 4 - 6 April
Strike information 7 - 10 April

Service information

We are expecting to run a normal timetable on Thursday 4 April however, trains are subject to short notice alterations and cancellations.

Members of the ASLEF union will take strike action on EMR services on Friday 5 April. ASLEF represents train drivers and therefore we will not be operating any trains. No rail replacement bus services will be provided.

Strike action is also taking place on Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway and other train operators may be running a reduced service due to an overtime ban.

Services between Liverpool Lime Street and Sheffield will be operating with an amended timetable.

EMR services will only call at Alfreton, Chesterfield, Sheffield, Stockport, Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Oxford Road and Liverpool Lime Street only. Services will not be calling at Dronfield, Ilkeston, Langley Mill, Widnes, Warrington Central or Liverpool South Parkway. The first and last services will not call at Dore & Totley, Grindleford, Hathersage, Bamford, Hope, Edale or Chinley or Hazel Grove, or Birchwood.

It is likely you 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.

On all other EMR routes we are expecting to operate the planned timetable; however, trains are subject to short notice alternations and cancellations.

Strike action is also taking place on Chiltern Railways, Great Western Railway, LNER, Northern and TransPennine Express and other train operators may be running a reduced service due to an overtime ban. Please check your full journey before travelling.

Engineering work will be taking place between Newark Castle / Derby and Crewe. Please check your journey if you are travelling along this route. Further information on the Engineering work taking place between Newark Castle / Derby and Crewe can be found here.

On Sunday 7 April, we will be running a planned timetable.

Engineering work will be taking place between Newark Castle / Derby and Crewe. Please check your journey if you are travelling along this route. Further information on the Engineering work taking place between Newark Castle / Derby and Crewe can be found here.

We are expecting to run a normal timetable on Monday 8 April however, trains are subject to short notice alterations and cancellations.

Strike action is also taking place on c2c, Greater Anglia (including Stansted Express), Great Northern, Thameslink, Southeastern, Southern, Gatwick Express and South Western Railway (including Island Line) and other train operators may be running a reduced service due to an overtime ban. Please check your full journey before travelling.

We are expecting to run a normal timetable on Tuesday 9 April however, trains are subject to short notice alterations and cancellations.

On Wednesday 10 April, we will be running a planned timetable.

FAQs for strike days

If you have purchased an Advance, Anytime or Off-Peak ticket for travel between Friday 5 April - Monday 8 April, you can instead use your tickets any time between Thursday 4 April up until Wednesday 10 April. Tickets must have been purchased before the strikes were announced on Wednesday 20 March.

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.