East Midlands Railway (EMR) will run a reduced level of service on Thursday 16 and Saturday 18 March due to industrial action by members of the RMT Union.

EMR has been working on contingency plans to provide as many services as possible but the opening hours of the railway and the number of services it can operate will be significantly reduced. 

EMR services will only operate between 7:30am and 6:30pm and customers are asked to only travel by rail if absolutely necessary.

If customers need to travel, they are asked to plan ahead and leave extra time for their journey. This includes the day after the strike, as knock-on effects will impact early services on Friday 17 March.

Since the announcement of the ballot, EMR has been working with colleagues across the railway to ensure they can deliver a robust and reliable service for its customers.

As in previous strikes, a significant pool of contingency staff have been trained (to the same safety-critical standards as their permanent colleagues) to ensure a service can continue to operate. 

However, it will not be possible to continue to operate the same level of service as EMR would normally. 

Will Rogers, Managing Director for East Midlands Railway, said: "We are advising customers to plan ahead and only travel by rail if absolutely necessary on days affected by industrial action. Customers are also strongly advised to check when the time of their last train is before setting off and understand how the strike action affects their whole journey.

"At present we only have details of services for Thursday, 16 March. Customers who need to travel on Saturday, 18 March, should check our website where the information will be shared once plans have been approved."

Services affected on Thursday 16 March:

EMR Intercity

• One Train Per Hour between Nottingham and London St Pancras
• One Train Per Hour between Sheffield and London St Pancras

EMR Connect

• One Train Per Hour between Corby and London St Pancras

EMR Regional

• One Train per Hour between Derby and Matlock
• One Train per Hour between Derby and Nottingham
• One Train per Hour between Sheffield and Nottingham
• One Train per Hour between Leicester and Nottingham (Stopping Service)
• One Train per Hour between Mansfield Woodhouse and Nottingham

All other lines of route will be closed and no Rail Replacement Bus services will be provided.

Strike action will affect other routes across the country. Customers are advised to check their full journey before travelling.

Friday 17 March:

 Services across the EMR network will start later, please check before you travel.

Saturday 18 March:

Services will be significantly affected by strike action. EMR will share detailed information in the coming days. Customers are advised to check EMR's website for the most up to date information.