One recurring fault can leave trains sitting like a ‘dead duck’ for 20 minutes, the union has said
Staff say the 810 fleet has been operating with a “significant” number of dangerous faults(Image: Derby Telegraph)
East Midlands Railways (EMR) staff have taken strike action outside Derby railway station because the company continues to refuse calls to withdraw its new trains.
The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) organised strikes across the country on Saturday (August 1) in relation to the rollout of its Class 810 Aurora fleet, which staff say has been operating with a “significant” number of “dangerous faults”.
Issues raised by the union include drivers and staff being forced to work in 40C heat during the recent heatwaves, due to faulty air conditioning, and passengers being unable to access toilets – but one frightening fault which leaves trains sitting like “dead ducks” on railway tracks has been described as “completely unsafe”.
Keir Chewings, who is the Midlands member on the RMT’s national executive committee, told Derbyshire Live during a demonstration on Railway Terrace: “There’s a fault at the moment that is causing these trains to require a reset.
“When they do this reset, whether they’re on a platform or in the middle of nowhere, they have to do a hard reset on these trains, which turns absolutely everything off.
Keir Chewings, Midlands member on the RMT’s national executive committee(Image: Derby Telegraph)
“All power, all safety systems, gone. No communication to the signal. They are literally a dead duck in the middle of nowhere. And that is for about 20 minutes.
“So that train is completely by itself. And if that’s not bad enough by itself, we’ve also had information recently that tells us that this has happened 15 times in the last month.
“So every other day we’re having one of these units that fail and require a reset, which then causes it to be completely unsafe. That is not on.”
Delving into the other issues faced by EMR staff, Mr Chewings added: “We’ve then got members of staff being forced to work in 40-plus degrees because they’ve got inadequate air conditioning systems.”
He added that speaking to the public has allowed them to explain the severity of these safety issues, and that the public is “completely behind us on this”.
“It’s not like we’re striking over pay or conditions. This is purely about safety, and that is quite clear, and everyone is actually behind us.
“And all I’ll say, and I’ve seen some of the mantras come from EMR saying these trains are safe, and I’ll ask your readers, would you feel safe to be on a train in the middle of nowhere with no safety equipment active for 20 minutes? I think we know the answer to that.”
John Watson, RMT Midlands Regional Organiser, says the 810 fleet of trains is “not fit to be in service until numerous faults are rectified”.
John Watson, RMT Midlands Regional Organiser(Image: Derby Telegraph)
He continued: “It’s a safety concern that our members have got over the introduction of the new 810 fleet that East Midland Railway are rolling out.
“We’ve got numerous safety concerns, including accessibility, and passengers having to ask for permission to use the toilet.
“We’ve got issues with the air conditioning units, our drivers have been forced to work in 40C heat in recent months, and we’ve got further issues with access to the driver cab emergency equipment.
“A lot of your readers will be more than aware of the horrific incident down at Bedford a few weeks ago, where we needed to evacuate and protect a train, but with the current faults, we cannot access emergency equipment.
“Then there’s the issue with the trains needing a full reset, or shutdown.
“When this happens, there are six or seven safety features on those trains that are all isolated during that period, including external doors, which could result in the train doors not being locked, and passengers being able to open them wherever they are.
Protesters lined the pavement on Railway Terrace on Saturday (August 1)(Image: Derby Telegraph)
“They’re just some of the issues we’ve got at the present moment. These trains are not fit to be in service until they have these faults rectified.”
Strikes will continue on Saturday, August 8, and Saturday, August 15, outside London St Pancras, Nottingham, Derby and Sheffield railway stations.
In addition to this, members will also be taking Action of Short Strike (ASOS), from Sunday, August 2, to Friday, August 7, and from Sunday, August 9, to Friday, August 14.
Trains may be subject to short-notice changes and cancellations, and passengers are being advised to check for delays and alterations before they travel.
East Midlands Railway has apologised to customers affected by the industrial action, but insists that any claims suggesting the trains do not meet the safety standards are “incorrect”.
Philippa Cresswell, customer experience director at EMR, said: “We know the disruption this will cause and are advising customers to only travel if their journey is essential on Saturday 1, 8 and 15 August, as we will be operating a significantly reduced timetable between 7am and 7pm.
“EMR continues to engage in constructive discussions with the RMT in the hope of resolving this dispute as quickly as possible.
“The dispute relates to concerns raised about the introduction of our new Class 810 Aurora fleet.
“Any suggestion that the trains do not meet the required safety standards is incorrect.
“The Class 810 fleet entered passenger service only after successfully completing all required testing and meeting the rigorous safety standards required by the independent regulator.”