​“We are sorry to announce that the 09:57 East Midlands Railway service to London St Pancras has been cancelled.  This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.”
We have become all too familiar with messages of this kind over the station tannoy system in recent months.  OK, stuff happens, and there will always be train cancellations, but the situation has now become serious to the point of unsustainable.  The reliability of our train service has reached a point where people are losing faith and are switching to other routes or not using the train.
The basic reason is that, despite valiant efforts by maintenance crews and others to run as many trains as they can, there just isn’t enough rolling stock.
Our new Class 810 Aurora bi-mode (electric + diesel) trains are very late in delivery from Hitachi.  They are also proving unreliable in service.  In addition, one was severely damaged in the tragic accident south of Bedford on 19th June.
Our old Class 222 Meridian diesel units, which have served us well, are reduced in number as five have been transferred away for use by another operator.   Those that remain are being used intensively, to provide as good a service as possible, but this means reduced maintenance downtime (consistent with maintaining safety, of course) and increased in-service failures.  We now have a level of cancellations that is severely denting public confidence in the train service.  The effect on the travelling public is severe, especially when consecutive trains are cancelled.   We also recognise that the frontline staff are embarrassed by all this and can face anger from disgruntled and distressed passengers.
Harborough Rail Users discussed this with EMR back in April, but the situation has got measurably worse since then.  We have now written again to EMR and to Neil O’Brien MP, calling for an apology from EMR, regular information and updates on a recovery plan, and a realistic assessment of how long this situation is expected to continue.
We shall continue to do what we can to press for an early resumption of an acceptable level of service on our line.

In the first few months of 2026, train cancellations have been a significant problem at Market Harborough.  This is partly the result of the delayed introduction of our new Class 810 Aurora bi-mode trains, especially as the first five of our Class 222 Meridian diesel trains have already been transferred away for another operator.  The depleted fleet and insufficient new trains have left EMR with a shortage of rolling stock on the main line.    
Some services have often been cancelled.  Our 06:18 to Nottingham on weekdays is an example.  To be fair, EMR sometimes - though not always - add extra stops on adjacent fast trains that are running.  For example, when our 06:18 to Nottingham is cancelled, the 05:27 St Pancras to Sheffield may call here at about 06:25, which is a good alternative, with connections from Long Eaton to Nottingham.  
However, cancellations reached such level that we wrote to EMR expressing serious concern.  For example, 9 of our 70 trains, nearly 13%, on 25th March.  If the shortage of rolling stock is such that the published timetable simply cannot be delivered, it would be better to withdraw some services temporarily than have random cancellations.  People could then plan their journeys with more certainty.
In response, EMR invited Steve Jones, Chair of Harborough Rail Users, to a meeting with their Commercial Director at their Derby HQ on 9th April 2026.  This was a very constructive meeting, at which our concerns and EMR’s responses were discussed.  We have been in correspondence since on this and other topics affecting users of Market Harborough station.  These topics include:

• the persistent late arrival into St Pancras of our first two trains on Sunday mornings;
• management of disruption and information given to passengers when things do go wrong, as they inevitably will from time to time;
• engineering work and the related temporary timetables and rail-replacement buses; and
• the corrosion on the footbridge. 

EMR are looking into all of these matters.

Harborough Rail Users Committee met at the Red Cow pub in Market Harborough on Monday evening 9th March.  This was a routine meeting and the main topic discussed was the delayed introduction of the new Class 810 Aurora bi-mode train fleet and its implications. The delivery of these trains is very late.  This plus the reduced fleet of Class 222 Meridian diesel trains as the first ones are transferred away for use by open access operator Lumo for London – Scotland services, means we have an increasingly evident shortage of rolling stock for our services at Market Harborough. Trains are too often being cancelled or short-formed (five instead of ten carriages) or have other faults such as toilets not working. We have taken this up with EMR, but it is clear that the remaining diesel fleet is being ‘sweated’, with insufficient spare capacity until the new fleet is fully in service.
The general growth in rail business has exacerbated overcrowding on our trains.  This problem is especially severe when weekend engineering work closes the parallel East Coast Main Line between King’s Cross and Peterborough, with many LNER passengers using EMR services instead.
Other topics covered included the new ANPR car park payment system, which appears to be working well; congestion in the station approach road and forecourt; and concern about the closure of access from the platforms to the middle footbridge at Nottingham station, which is an important interchange point for passengers from Market Harborough. 

On 5th March, EMR announced that they would be removing seat reservations from 1st April 2026. This is a temporary measure while the train fleet transitions from the diesel Class 222 Meridian units to the new bi-mode Class 810 Auroras. These have different seating configurations, but they can also be swapped for one another in service at short notice.
Advice from EMR states:
“Operating two fleets makes it technically and operationally difficult to provide seat reservations as the seating layouts are different and the technology on the Class 222 is old and inflexible. While we know our customers value seat reservations, we also know that failing to honour a booked reservation is one of the biggest causes of dissatisfaction.
We have therefore taken the decision to remove seat reservations on all Intercity services from 1 April 2026 while we transition to our new Aurora fleet. We recognise that inconsistent reservations have created challenges and frustration for customers and colleagues. This temporary measure will allow us to provide greater certainty during the fleet transition.
From 1 April 2026:

• All Intercity seat reservations will be withdrawn
• Existing seat reservations for travel on or after this date will no longer be valid (wheelchair and bicycle reservations will remain in place)

Furthermore, the option to make new seat reservations for travel beyond 1 April has been removed from all booking channels.
We are working closely with our IT team to ensure clear information for passengers is displayed on the reservation screens on the trains and for the management of passenger assistance and bicycle reservations.
We are contacting customers with reservations who are travelling from 1 April and providing them with simple information about what this means for their journey. Clear messaging will be provided through booking channels, stations and on-train announcements.
We will keep you informed as the fleet transition progresses and as we are able to reintroduce a consistent reservation system for our customers.”
We in Harborough Rail Users have discussed this with EMR and are satisfied that it is a reasonable temporary measure during the fleet changeover.  We have also been assured that it will not result in any reduction in the numbers of discounted Advance tickets available at each fare tier.

Ticket refunds
The arrangements for refunds on tickets not used are also changing from 1st April.  This is a change in the National Rail Conditions of Travel.  Further details can be found here: https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/help-and-assistance/compensation-and-refunds/refunds-change/
In essence, the previous allowance of up to 28 days after date of travel has been removed, such that refunds can only be requested up until 23:59 on the day before the ticket becomes valid, unless your train is delayed or cancelled.  The reason is to prevent fraudulent misuse of the system.

The introduction of EMR’s new bi-mode Hitachi Class 810 Aurora train fleet has been severely delayed; they were meant to start running in 2022!  Covid interrupted things, of course, and testing identified issues with the first of the new trains that needed extensive rectification.
Promised starts in November 2025 did not happen and it began to look as though the first run would not be until the December 2025 timetable change. However, on 3rd December, Aurora unit number 810010 operated the first public duty for the type, the 07:00 Sheffield to St Pancras (which does not call at Market Harborough).  The same unit later worked the 17:05 St Pancras to Nottingham, calling at Market Harborough at 18:07 and thereby becoming our first Aurora service, and thus our first electric train.  However, the electrification only extends as far as Wigston South Junction, so the train was diesel powered by the time it arrived in Leicester. The changeover from electric to diesel takes place at speed and is almost unnoticeable.  We look forward to more Auroras being introduced into service over the next few months.