East Midlands Railway have provided the following update:
During March and April, we plan to increase the number of our new Aurora trains in passenger service. Our new trains have been designed around what matters most to you: comfort, space, connectivity, and a commitment to cleaner, more sustainable travel.
During the transition to our new trains we will be operating two fleets of trains that have different seating layouts. This makes it difficult to provide seat reservations.
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 know this will be disappointing news for some customers but we do not want to provide customers with a seat reservation if we are unlikely to be able to honour it.
From Wednesday 1 April 2026:
- Existing seat reservations for travel on or after this date will no longer be valid (wheelchair and bicycle reservations will remain in place)
- The option to make new seat reservations for travel beyond Wednesday 1 April has now been removed
If you require additional support for your journey, please get in touch: www.eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk/help-manage/manage/contact-us
