Empty Stock Moves That Could Be Useful To Passengers.

[30907]

I think a lot of movements out of Streatham Hill carriage sidings going towards Victoria would be useful for passenger runs - especially on a Saturday morning when Balham fills out quickly and the poor souls at Wandsworth Common have to watch a Mitcham line and a West Croydon train run by fast

I can find 2 (plus 1 ex Selhurst) between 0530-0600 Saturdays - is Balham heaving then? Plus a handful of others during the day.

 

[Sad Sprinter]

I can find 2 (plus 1 ex Selhurst) between 0530-0600 Saturdays - is Balham heaving then? Plus a handful of others during the day.

Wouldn't say heaving, it seems in the morning its largest flow is either those getting off at Balham to get the Underground or changing for the Windsor or West London Line at Clapham Junction. Some trains even in the morning have plenty of seats available on the last stretch into Victoria. However the station does get very busy on Saturday mornings with plenty of people changing trains at Clapham Junction to various destinations.

 

[moonarrow458]

I reckon the following ECS moves from Stansted Airport could definitely be converted to useful passenger services:

On Mondays:

Realtime Trains | 5B10 0445 Stansted Airport to London Liverpool Street | 17/07/2023

Real-time train running information for 5B10 0445 departure from Stansted Airport to London Liverpool Street on 17/07/2023. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

On Fridays:

Realtime Trains | 5B10 0445 Stansted Airport to London Liverpool Street | 21/07/2023

Real-time train running information for 5B10 0445 departure from Stansted Airport to London Liverpool Street on 21/07/2023. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

On Saturdays:

Realtime Trains | 5B12 0440 Stansted Airport to London Liverpool Street | 22/07/2023

Real-time train running information for 5B12 0440 departure from Stansted Airport to London Liverpool Street on 22/07/2023. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

These are all formed from 1B98 the 0340 Liverpool Street non-stop to Stansted service that only runs on Monday, Friday and Saturday mornings. Based off of my observations of clueless tourists heading down to the station at 3am when there's at least 2 hours till the first train, there would certainly be some user base, as there are some very early/late arrivals of planes, not to mention planes that arrive 2-3 hours late, as mine did recently, as well as airport staff/cleaners clocking off from shifts, for whom a 0440/0445 service from Stansted on the applicable nights would be useful.

Such a service would likely run nonstop due to station staffing hours, at intermediate stations, although on a Cheshunt stop could possibly be made, given it stops there for pathing anyway (Mondays & Fridays), and the first northbound would have departed from Cheshunt by then. This would then form a useful connection into the first southbound London Overground service via Seven sisters.

I am aware that Stansted does have 24/7 coaches into London operated by national express but many tourists and passengers prefer to use the train, and at least to Liverpool street the train is faster on journey times than the equivalent coach. Either way it seems like a bit of missed opportunity from Greater Anglia, especially given that Gatwick and Luton have 24hr overnight services on all or most nights of the week.