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.

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.

In February 2023, Transport UK Group concluded a management buyout of Abellio's United Kingdom business, which included EMR.

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.

[7] 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.

[8][9] 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;[10] rival bidder Stagecoach had been disqualified from the process because its submission failed to meet employee pension obligations.

[18] 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.

[21][22] During February 2023, Transport UK Group concluded a management buyout of Abellio's United Kingdom business, which included EMR.

[31] Over the course of the franchise, several planned timetable changes are to be made:[25] As of December 2024, East Midlands Railway's regular off-peak services Monday-Friday include:[32] EMR Regional is a brand used on regional routes, most of which terminate at or pass through Nottingham, including services from Norwich to Liverpool Lime Street and from Crewe to Newark Castle.

The service began in May 2021 using Class 360s formerly used by Greater Anglia following the electrification of the Midland Main Line from Bedford to Kettering and Corby in 2020.

[44] 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.

[45][46] 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.

[71] 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.