East Midlands Railway Explained

East Midlands Railway
Abbr:EM[1]
Fleet:
Stations:140
Parent Company:Transport UK Group
Predecessor:East Midlands Trains

East Midlands Railway (EMR; legally Transport UK East Midlands Limited[2]) is a British train operating company owned by Transport UK Group, and is the current operator of the East Midlands franchise.

Originally owned by Abellio, EMR took over operations from East Midlands Trains (EMT) on 18 August 2019, on an agreement to run the franchise for eight years. As part of the franchise commitments, EMR placed an order for 33 new bi-mode Class 810 Aurora high speed train sets, and sourced over 40 pre-existing Class 170 Turbostar diesel multiple units from other operators.

During early 2020, passenger numbers and ticket revenues collapsed following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to the original franchise agreement being initially suspended before being replaced entirely. Under the new National Rail Contract signed in 2022, the franchise is to last until October 2030. In February 2023, Transport UK Group concluded a management buyout of Abellio's United Kingdom business, which included EMR.

History

Background

In March 2017, the Department for Transport announced that Arriva, a joint venture between FirstGroup and Trenitalia, and incumbent Stagecoach had been shortlisted to bid for the next East Midlands franchise.[3] [4] [5] Abellio was also shortlisted for the franchise during February 2018.[6]

In April 2018, FirstGroup and Trenitalia pulled out of the bidding process, their stated reason for doing so being to focus on the West Coast Partnership franchise.[7] [8] During April 2019, it was announced that the franchise has been awarded to Abellio, with East Midlands Railway (EMR) to take over the franchise from East Midlands Trains (EMT) on 18 August 2019 for a period of eight years;[9] rival bidder Stagecoach had been disqualified from the process because its submission failed to meet employee pension obligations.[10] [11]

In June 2019, Abellio revealed its branding and colour scheme for EMR, which featured distinct purple and white colours that reflected the heritage of the East Midlands. The company also confirmed that it would divide the franchise's services into three segments:[12]

EMR Electrics was later rebranded as EMR Connect following an announcement in April 2021.[13]

Covid-19 and franchise suspension

Following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and a resulting collapse in both passenger numbers and ticket revenues in March 2020, the franchise agreement was suspended and replaced by an Emergency Measure Agreement for six months under which the Department for Transport assumed responsibility for all revenues and costs and EMR was instead paid a management fee.[14] This arrangement was superseded by an Emergency Recovery Measures Agreement (ERMA) under which the original franchise agreement was terminated. At the time, it was announced that the EMR franchise would operate until March 2022.[15] [16]

In October 2021, the DfT issued an updated prior information notice that confirmed that the ERMA period would be extended until 16 October 2022.[17] During October 2022, it was announced that EMR had received a direct award of a four-year National Rail Contract, the terms of which included the option of extending it for a further period of up to four years.

Industrial action and ownership change

EMR was one of several train operators impacted by the 2022-2023 United Kingdom railway strikes, which was the first national rail strike in the UK for three decades.[18] Its workers were amongst those who participated in industrial action due to a dispute over pay and working conditions.[19] On multiple occasions, EMR has requested that the travelling public avoid using its services on certain dates due to these strikes.[20] [21]

During February 2023, Transport UK Group concluded a management buyout of Abellio's United Kingdom business, which included EMR.[22] [23]

Services

EMR operates commuter services from to, as well as Intercity services from London St Pancras along the Midland Main Line to and with limited extensions to . EMR also operate the local East Midlands services and inter regional services to and (Express service). Services from Nottingham to Liverpool Lime Street were to transfer to another operator during the life of the franchise,[24] although following a review by the DfT, this will no longer take place; the service instead being split at Nottingham as intended but remaining with EMR.[25] The Barton line was expected to transfer from Northern in 2019 but this was delayed until May 2021.[26] [27]

On 19 June 2021, EMR Regional services were cut to enable the timetable to run effectively.[28] Although EMR stated that 85% of services were still running, there was still an impact to local commuter services.[29]

Contactless payment cards can be used between and .[30]

Over the course of the franchise, several planned timetable changes are to be made:[24]

As of December 2023, East Midlands Railway's regular off-peak services Monday-Friday include:[31]

EMR Intercity

Route Calling at
2
  • , and are served by the same trains.
  • 2 trains per day London-bound start from, calling at, (1tpd),,, (1tpd) and (1tpd). One train serves Swinderby and Lowdham, and the other serves Fiskerton.
2
  • , and are served by the same trains.

EMR Regional

EMR Regional is a brand used on services from Norwich to Liverpool Lime Street and from Crewe to Newark Castle.

They run a mixture of Class 158s and 170s with 158s normally confined to the Norwich to Liverpool stretch.[32] EMR introduced Class 170s to replace the 153s and 156s which have since been withdrawn,[33] and initially the 158s, which will now be kept for the foreseeable future and are planned for refurbishment along with the 170s.[34] [35] [36] [37] [38]

The Norwich to Liverpool service was initially planned to terminate at Nottingham with the stretch to Liverpool Lime Street taken over during the franchise by another operator, likely TransPennine Express. However, this is no longer taking place.

Derwent Valley line
Route Calling at
1
  • and are served by alternate trains.
Crewe–Derby line
Route Calling at
1
Castle line
Route Calling at
  • 2 trains per day extend to .
  • 2 trains per day originate from, see below.
Nottingham–Grantham and Poacher lines
Route Calling at
1
  • and are served by the same trains, alternating with .
Robin Hood Line
Route Calling at
1
  • and are served by alternating trains.
Peterborough to Doncaster via Doncaster–Lincoln line
Route Calling at
1
  • Some trains extend to (see below) or (see above)
Liverpool to Norwich via Sheffield–Lincoln line
Route Calling at
1
  • Two trains -bound start from
  • An additional unit is often coupled west of Nottingham
Barton line
Route Calling at

EMR Connect / Luton Airport Express

EMR Connect
Luton Airport Express
Operator:East Midlands Railway,
Stock:21 Class 360s
Trainnumber:EM
Website:https://www.eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk/our-fleet/connect
Owners:Network Rail
El:

    EMR Connect is a commuter service linking Corby with St Pancras. The service began in May 2021 using Class 360s formally used by Greater Anglia following the electrification of the Midland Main Line from Bedford to Kettering and Corby in 2020.[39] It was initially planned to be known as EMR Electrics until just before its launch date in April 2021.

    In March 2023, the Luton DART, an automated guided people mover, opened between Luton Airport and Luton Airport Parkway railway station.[40] From then on, EMR simultaneously brands EMR Connect as the airport rail link Luton Airport Express since the services are non stop from St Pancras to Luton Airport Parkway, with a headline figure of 32minutes from London St Pancras to the airport terminal using the Luton DART, the cost of which is included in the train ticket price.[41] [42]

    Rolling stock

    East Midlands Railway inherited a fleet of 28 Class 43, 21 Class 153, 15 Class 156, 26 Class 158, and 27 Class 222 units from East Midlands Trains. In January 2020, nine additional Class 156 units from Greater Anglia were introduced into service. Nine 8-carriage InterCity 125 sets were also transferred from London North Eastern Railway, with the first set having entered service on 4 May 2020. They were replaced in May 2021.[43] To replace the former Grand Central “buffered” HST sets, EMR commenced a lease of the four former Hull Trains Class 180 fleet despite their history of technical difficulties, with the first units entering service on 13 December 2020.[44] [45] On 16 May 2021, East Midlands Railway launched EMR Connect services between Corby and London St Pancras, which has enabled the final HSTs to be withdrawn.[46] The Connect service is operated by ex-Greater Anglia s.[47] [48]

    By 2023, East Midlands Railway planned to run EMR Regional services using 40 units (in fact, they have 43 170s so far), and by 2024 plans to run EMR Intercity services using 33 new bi-mode Class 810 Aurora units.[49]

    The final Class 170s from West Midlands Trains were delivered in May 2023. The last Class 170 from Transport for Wales was transferred on 28 January 2024.[50] EMR also has 170s acquired from ScotRail and Southern; the latter were converted back to 170s from previously-converted 171s by reinstating their original type of couplers.

    The company is refurbishing the stock used for its regional services.[51] [52] [53] [54] [55]

    Current fleet

    FamilyClassImageTypeTop SpeedNumberCarriagesRoutes operatedBuilt
    mphkm/h
    EMR Intercity
    Bombardier Voyager222 MeridianDEMU12520023[56] 5
    • Intercity routes
    20032005
    47
    EMR Connect / Luton Airport Express
    Siemens Desiro360 DesiroEMU11018021[57] 4
    • Connect route
    20022003
    EMR Regional
    Sprinter158 Express SprinterDMU90145262
    • Regional routes (mostly Liverpool to Norwich services) [58]
    19891992
    Bombardier Turbostar170 Turbostar100161272
    • Regional routes
    19992002
    16[59] 3

    Future fleet

    To replace the Class 222 units, 33 five-carriage Class 810 bi-mode trains will be introduced in early 2025 to make use of the newly electrified Midland Main Line.[60] [61] The Class 810 is an evolution of the Class 802 units that Hitachi have delivered to a number of British train operators;[62] amongst other changes, it has a reduced car length as to better facilitate its use of stations such as St Pancras and is fitted with uprated diesel engines that enable the Class 810 to equal, if not exceed, the acceleration of the Class 222.[49] During May 2020, EMR opened a competition to give the class their own unique brand name.[63] In October 2020, EMR announced that the fleet will have the 'Aurora' brand.[64] The earlier-than-planned withdrawal of the Class 180 fleet, now occurring at the May 2023 timetable change, means that 'Aurora' units will only directly replace the Class 222 fleet.[65]

    Other existing stock to be added consist of 39 Class 170s; 23 from West Midlands Trains, 12 from Transport for Wales and four from Southern.[66] [67] [68] Those altogether will enable the,, and sets to be withdrawn, although some of the gaps were to be filled in when the Liverpool-Nottingham service was taken over by another operator. This will now not take place, with a proposal made to transfer 15 units from TransPennine Express to prevent the shortfall in stock caused by EMR retaining this service, with another solution being to retain the Class 158s.[25] [69] It was expected that 12 units would transfer from Southern.[70] [71] However, due to no replacement units being sourced, this reshuffling will not take place, with the Transport for Wales Class 170s replacing the planned transfer of Class 171s from Southern.[69] During May 2022, however, it was announced that four Class 171s would transfer from Southern, with expected entry into service being in the autumn of 2022. These units will be converted into Class 170s, reformed into three-carriage sets and work alongside the rest of the fleet.[72] Three of these units were transferred to EMR on 7 September 2022 having been reformed from their previous two-and-four-car formations. The fourth unit was due to transfer in late 2023 as 170421 but as of March 2024, it has not arrived.[73]

    FamilyClassImageTypeTop SpeedNumberCarriagesRoutes operatedIn service
    mphkm/h
    EMR Intercity
    Hitachi AT300810 AuroraBMU12520033[74] 5 Early 2025[75]
    EMR Regional
    Bombardier Turbostar170 TurbostarDMU10016113
    • Regional routes
    2024

    Past fleet

    The last of the InterCity 125 sets East Midlands Railway inherited from East Midlands Trains were withdrawn in December 2020, having been replaced by five ex LNER InterCity 125 sets which had greater compliance with new regulations and four Class 180s.[76] Originally nine former LNER sets were to replace a similar number of sets inherited from East Midlands Trains. However, after the carriages were found to require more repairs than originally envisaged, this was cut back to five sets.[77]

    In December 2021, the final Class 153s were withdrawn, as they were not PRM (Persons with Reduced Mobility) compliant, with Class 156s replacing them on the Barton line from 13 December.[78] [79] These units were placed into storage at Long Marston and Ely Papworth Sidings in December 2021.[80]

    In December 2022, four Class 156 units went off lease and were sent for storage at Barrow Hill, with East Midlands Railway stating that they will be moved to Ely Papworth sidings at a later date.[81]

    East Midlands Railway withdrew the last of its Class 156 fleet and its entire 180 fleet in May 2023.[82]

    ClassFamilyImageTypeTop SpeedNumberCarriagesRoutes operatedWithdrawn
    mphkm/h
    EMR Intercity
    43 (HST)InterCity 125Loco12520024N/A 2020
    6[83]
    2320202021
    Mark 3Coach94[84] 2020
    78[85] 20202021
    180 AdelanteAlstom CoradiaDHMU12520045 2023
    EMR Regional
    153Super SprinterDMU7512021[86] 1
    • Regional routes
    20192021
    15624[87] 22021-2023

    Depots

    EMR operates two depots: Derby Etches Park and Nottingham Eastcroft.[88] The s are maintained at Bedford Cauldwell Walk depot by Siemens Mobility.[89]

    Controversy

    East Midlands Railway was investigated by the Advertising Standards Authority, who in September 2021 found that they had breached marketing codes. The firm had launched a competition in February 2021 asking participants for ideas to "Build Back Better" with the chance of winning £5,000. However, the competition was closed and the prize not awarded; East Midlands Railway stated that this was due to financial concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic as well as due to the low quality of entries received.[90] [91]

    External links

    Notes and References

    1. Web site: National Rail Enquiries - East Midlands Railway . 1 December 2021 . www.nationalrail.co.uk.
    2. Web site: TRANSPORT UK EAST MIDLANDS LIMITED . . . 29 April 2024.
    3. News: Three bidders shortlisted for 2019 East Midlands franchise . Rail Technology Magazine . 1 March 2017 . 10 March 2018.
    4. Three prequalify for next East Midlands franchise . https://web.archive.org/web/20170301131210/https://www.railwaygazette.com/news/single-view/view/three-prequalify-for-next-east-midlands-franchise.html . 1 March 2017 . live . . 1 March 2017.
    5. Web site: Rail Franchise Schedule . UK Department of Transport . 30 June 2023 . 17 June 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180617194648/https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/630238/rail-franchise-schedule.pdf . dead .
    6. Abellio joins East Midlands franchise shortlist . https://web.archive.org/web/20180311021353/http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/single-view/view/abellio-joins-east-midlands-franchise-shortlist.html . 11 March 2018 . live . Railway Gazette International . 6 February 2018.
    7. First Group and Trenitalia pull out of East Midlands franchise contest . https://web.archive.org/web/20190410070004/https://www.railjournal.com/passenger/main-line/first-group-and-trenitalia-pull-out-of-east-midlands-franchise-contest/ . 10 April 2019 . live . . 23 April 2018.
    8. News: First Group-Trenitalia JV pulls out of East Midlands franchise bidding . Global Rail News . 23 April 2018 . 24 April 2018.
    9. Web site: More seats, services and state-of-the-art trains for passengers on new East Midlands railway . https://web.archive.org/web/20190410070003/https://www.gov.uk/government/news/more-seats-services-and-state-of-the-art-trains-for-passengers-on-new-east-midlands-railway . 10 April 2019 . live . Department for Transport . 10 April 2019.
    10. Web site: East Midlands, South Eastern and West Coast Partnership franchise updates . Department for Transport . 10 April 2019.
    11. Liverpool-Norwich service to be split . . 838 . July 2018 . 14.
    12. Web site: How Midland Mainline trains will soon look . Pegden . Tom . . 21 June 2019 . . 21 June 2019.
    13. News: New train timetable from Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough revealed for May electric revolution . en-GB . 16 April 2021.
    14. Web site: Covid-19: government suspends rail franchise agreements . . 23 March 2020.
    15. UK government announces the end of rail franchising . Railway Gazette International . 21 September 2020.
    16. Transitional ERMAs pave the way to management contracts . . 23 September 2020.
    17. Web site: Prior information notice (PIN) for direct award of East Midlands Railway contract (corrigendum) . Department for Transport . 18 October 2021 . 10 February 2022.
    18. News: Rail strike: RMT union votes for national action . . 24 May 2022 . 24 May 2022.
    19. News: The dates of the train, Tube and bus strikes this week, and how services will be affected . 20 June 2022 . Finnis . Alex . . . . 24 June 2022.
    20. Web site: Aslef and RMT train strikes: EMR issues 'do not travel' warning ahead of strike days . thestar.co.uk . Rahmah . Ghazali . 30 May 2023.
    21. Web site: Rail strikes: EMR Nottingham services significantly reduced on Monday and Tuesday . westbridgfordwire.com . 14 October 2022.
    22. Web site: Abellio UK to be renamed Transport UK Group as management buyout deal completes . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230301074525/https://www.abellio.com/news/abellio-uk-to-be-renamed-transport-uk-group . 1 March 2023 . 2 March 2023 . Abellio.com .
    23. Web site: Deakin . Tim . 28 February 2023 . Transport UK Group MBO of Abellio UK completes . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230301162927/https://www.route-one.net/news/transport-uk-group-mbo-of-abellio-uk-completes/ . 1 March 2023 . 2 March 2023 . routeone.net .
    24. Web site: East Midlands Rail Franchise . Department for Transport . 30 June 2023 . 14 May 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190514113919/http://maps.dft.gov.uk/east-midlands-rail-franchise/ . dead .
    25. Web site: EMR set to retain Liverpool – Nottingham service . Railway Gazette International . 24 August 2020.
    26. Web site: East Midlands rail franchise consultation . https://web.archive.org/web/20190411020329/https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/649952/east-midlands-consultation-event-slides.pdf . 2019-04-11 . live . Department for Transport.
    27. May Milestone for MML Timetable . . 872 . May 2021 . 23.
    28. Web site: Amended Timetable across EMR Regional routes | EMR | East Midlands Railway . www.eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk.
    29. Web site: East Midlands Railway announces cuts to services . 18 June 2021 . BBC News.
    30. Web site: nationalrail.co.uk . live . 29 December 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210924094108/https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/London_Rail_Tube_Map_September%202021(c).v5.pdf . 24 September 2021 .
    31. Web site: Timetables . 13 December 2023 . East Midlands Railway . . en.
    32. Web site: Accessibility of our trains | EMR . 16 January 2024 . East Midlands Railway.
    33. 31 May 2023 . EMR stands down '180s' and '156s' . . 23 . 984.
    34. Web site: 20 March 2024 . The Big Regional Refurb: EMR announce start of £60 million project to revamp regional fleet . 4 May 2024 . East Midlands Railway . EMR.
    35. Web site: 2024-03-25 . 70 million euro refurbishment project for EMR's regional fleet . 2024-05-07 . RailTech.com . en-GB.
    36. Web site: £60m revamp for EMR 'Regional' and 'Connect' trains . 2024-05-07 . pocketmags.com.
    37. Web site: Crampton . Rosie . 2024-03-21 . EMR's £60 million project to revamp regional fleet begins . 2024-05-07 . RailBusinessDaily . en-US.
    38. News: Weaver . Stephanie . 2024-03-20 . EMR finally announces start of £60 million project to revamp regional fleet. The refurbishment promised several years ago is finally happening . Northamptonshire Telegraph.
    39. Web site: East Midlands Railway launch all-electric train service from Corby to London . . ITV . 29 February 2024.
    40. News: Luton Dart airport shuttle welcomes first passengers. BBC News . 10 March 2023 . 10 March 2023 .
    41. Web site: Luton Airport Express . East Midlands Railway . 10 March 2023.
    42. Web site: 9 March 2023 . Luton airport Dart rail shuttle finally set to open – at a price . 26 March 2023 . . en . A newly branded Luton Airport Express train from London St Pancras will run nonstop every half-hour with a journey time of just 22 minutes..
    43. Web site: WATCH: Final East Midlands Railway VP185 Class 43 locomotive at Chesterfield . Cameron . White . Rail Advent . 13 December 2020 . en . 15 February 2021.
    44. News: Cascaded LNER HSTs to plug the gap in East Midlands fleet . Clinnick . Richard . . . . en . 7 November 2019.
    45. First EMR HST replacement in service next week . Railway Herald . 673 . 22 January 2020 . 8.
    46. Introducing EMR Connect – more seats and a simpler timetable on our greenest ever fleet . East Midlands Railway . London.
    47. EMR Connect: All electric train service launches next week . East Midlands Railway . London.
    48. News: EMR Connect: All electric train service launches this week . Longhorn . Danny . Rail Business Daily . . Business Daily Group . 25 October 2021 . 11 May 2021.
    49. Web site: Enter the Aurora . www.modernrailways.com . 25 October 2021 . en . 23 February 2021.
    50. Unit Focus (Class 170) . . 254 . April 2024 . 23.
    51. Web site: The Big Regional Refurb: EMR announce start of £60 million project to revamp regional fleet . . 20 March 2024 . EMR . 4 May 2024.
    52. Web site: 2024-03-25 . 70 million euro refurbishment project for EMR's regional fleet . 2024-05-07 . RailTech.com . en-GB.
    53. Web site: £60m revamp for EMR 'Regional' and 'Connect' trains . 2024-05-07 . pocketmags.com.
    54. Web site: Crampton . Rosie . 2024-03-21 . EMR's £60 million project to revamp regional fleet begins . 2024-05-07 . RailBusinessDaily . en-US.
    55. News: EMR finally announces start of £60 million project to revamp regional fleet. The refurbishment promised several years ago is finally happening . Stephanie . Weaver . 2024-03-20 . Northamptonshire Telegraph.
    56. Web site: Class 222 . 30 June 2023 . Eversholt Rail Group.
    57. East Midlands Railway fleet in focus . Today's Railways UK . 242 . April 2022 . 31.
    58. Web site: Accessibility of our trains | EMR. East Midlands Railway. 16 January 2024.
    59. EMR EVOLVES FOR THE FUTURE . Modern Railways . 889 . August 2022 . 51–56.
    60. East Midlands Railway reveals the interior looks of its new Aurora train fleet. News. . 254. April 2024. 7.
    61. EMR to lose Class 180 fleet . Rail Express . Mortons Media Group . Horncastle . 322 . March 2023 . 11.
    62. News: Abellio orders East Midlands inter-city fleet . 21 January 2022 . Rail Business UK . DVV Media International . 30 July 2019.
    63. Web site: EMR launches competition to name new Intercity fleet EMR East Midlands Railway . 27 October 2020 . www.eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk.
    64. Web site: 27 October 2020 . Aurora – the name for East Midlands Railway Class 810 trains . 27 October 2020 . RailAdvent . en-GB.
    65. EMR confirms withdrawal of Class 180s . Modern Railways . Key Publishing . Stamford . 895 . March 2023 . 11.
    66. Fleet Analysis (East Midlands Railway) . . 230 . April 2022 . 48.
    67. Progress on new train fleets continues . Clinnick . Richard . . . 27 August 2019.
    68. 153s acquired . . 874 . July 2021 . 13.
    69. Web site: EMR takes stock . www.modernrailways.com . 5 October 2021 . 22 December 2021 .
    70. A New Era for the East Midlands as Abellio starts its fifth franchise . . 214 . October 2019 . 26.
    71. Replacements sought for 171s . . 889 . 9 October 2019 . 29.
    72. Four GTR Turbostars moving to EMR . . 885 . June 2022 . 102.
    73. Reformed 'Turbostars' into traffic with Southern . . 319 . December 2022 . 26.
    74. Pritchard . Robert . Hitachi Scoops Order for East Midlands . . September 2019 . 213 . 6 . Platform 5 . Sheffield . 1475-9713.
    75. East Midlands Railway reveals the interior look of its new Aurora train fleet . . 254 . April 2024 . 7.
    76. Double Paxman Demise . . 868 . January 2021 . 50.
    77. Ex LNER 43 moved to Barrow Hill . . 917 . 4 November 2020 . 31.
    78. Web site: EMR introduce Class 156 fleet and own traincrew on Barton-on-Humber route . www.eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk . 15 December 2021.
    79. Web site: East Midlands Railway introduces Class 156 trains on Barton-on-Humber route . RailAdvent . 13 December 2021 . 15 December 2021.
    80. Northern and East Midlands Railway Class 153 fleets stood down . . 309 . February 2022 . 26.
    81. Web site: East Midlands Railway . 20 December 2022 . They will be moving to Ely Papworth ^PB . 21 December 2022 . Twitter.
    82. EMR stands down '180s' and '156s' . . 984 . 31 May 2023 . 23.
    83. Book: Coward . Andy . InterCity 125 High-Speed Tribute . Tempest . 2021 . 978-1-9116-3940-4 . 49–50.
    84. Web site: REVEALED: Every single heavy rail vehicle granted disability dispensation by DfT . Rail Magazine . 20 May 2021 . 9 February 2020.
    85. Web site: Cascaded LNER HSTs to plug the gap in East Midlands fleet . Rail Magazine . 20 May 2021 . 7 November 2019.
    86. East Midlands Railway plans spring 2020 start for Class 170s . . 28 November 2019 . 30 May 2022.
    87. Class 156 'Super Sprinter' . UNITS . Rail Express . 319 . December 2022 . 27.
    88. A New Era for the East Midlands as Abellio starts its fifth franchise . . 214 . October 2019 . 24–26.
    89. Web site: EMR Looks To 2020 Timetable Change . 24 December 2019 . Modern Railways . 15 February 2021.
    90. Web site: Holden . Michael . 22 September 2021 . East Midlands Railway says "poor quality entries" resulted in cancellation of competition, but breached ASA rules . live . 22 September 2021 . RailAdvent . en-GB . https://web.archive.org/web/20210922211520/https://www.railadvent.co.uk/2021/09/east-midlands-railway-says-poor-quality-entries-resulted-in-cancellation-of-competition-but-breached-asa-rules.html . 22 September 2021 .
    91. Web site: ASA Ruling on Abellio East Midlands Ltd t/a East Midlands Railway . . 22 September 2021.