Agreed, and associated re-introduction of semi-fast running of the Dorking/Horsham to Victoria trains. Sadly not happening this timetable... I would say fingers crossed for December, but I don't know if they have the available stock to reintroduce these services.
I suppose they may have enough stock it if they operated with 4 or 5 carriages during off peak and during peak they increase to 8 or 10 carriages. Saturday, I still feel services between London Victoria annd Epsom via Hackbridge services would need to run with 8 or 10 carriages.
I suppose they could change the Thameslink service that runs via Hackbridge could run to Sutton via Crystal Palace instead. The London Bridge to East Croydon service could divide/attach at Streatham with a portion going to Sutton via Hackbridge, that way Mitcham stations would still connect to Tulse Hill and Streatham.
Perhaps. They already run the Dorking/Horsham stoppers as short trains in quiet periods, although it's not quite as sensical as one might expect; the last couple of trains of the evening can be 4 cars and absolutely rammed as far as Epsom and beyond – a friend at another TOC tells me it's because they don't have to pay for as much electricity if they run shorter trains at night. My suspicion is that they would run the extra services if they had the stock.
I have a feeling these are being used so that various longer-distance trains can be strengthened to 8/12 car as appropriate, rather than re-introducing metro services (probably rightly so). Part of me wonders whether Southern are waiting to (re)-inherit stock from SouthEastern once it makes a big order. Could be a lonnnnng wait...
The real aadvantage would be restoring the pre-Thameslink connections from the W and S to Croydon - but crossing the layout at Sutton and Tulse Hill just adds complications, and you have to recast several other services.
Is that a signalled move?
