Southern timetable changes

[Sad Sprinter]

Does anyone know why Southern removed the Balham calls on peak Horsham services? Or why there’s now one train per hour from Wandsworth Common/Balham to East Croydon?

 

[IKB]

Does anyone know why Southern removed the Balham calls on peak Horsham services? Or why there’s now one train per hour from Wandsworth Common/Balham to East Croydon?

I don't know the definitive reason for the Horsham, but I'll have a stab at two guesses:
1) The Horsham route to Victoria route is not a short journey. It might trim a few minutes off. Those onboard wanting to feed into the Underground can do so at Clapham Junc. Plus Balham passengers already have plentiful stopping services.
2) By not stopping that train at Balham it might allow headways between other trains at Balham South Junction to be increased which which might improve punctuality.

 

[adrock1976]

I don't know the definitive reason for the Horsham, but I'll have a stab at two guesses:
1) The Horsham route to Victoria route is not a short journey. It might trim a few minutes off. Those onboard wanting to feed into the Underground can do so at Clapham Junc. Plus Balham passengers already have plentiful stopping services.
2) By not stopping that train at Balham it might allow headways between other trains at Balham South Junction to be increased which which might improve punctuality.

Do forgive me here, but even though south of the mighty Thames is alien to me, on the few occasions I have been at Clapham Junction, I do not ever recall there being an interchange with the London Underground.

 

[BluePenguin]

Do forgive me here, but even though south of the mighty Thames is alien to me, on the few occasions I have been at Clapham Junction, I do not ever recall there being an interchange with the London Underground.

That is because there isn't one! Clapham Junction is London Overground only. You can however go one stop to Vauxhall and "feed" into the Victoria line there

 

[USBT]

I’ve never heard of the Horsham-Victoria (Arun Valley) service calling at Balham in recent decades. They’ve always run on the fasts.

My 81 year old mother who grew up in Balham may correct me on whether any fast services ever called at Balham. Maybe services via Sutton at some stage?

The reduction to 1tph between Balham/Wandsworth Common and East Croydon was a result of the 20th May timetable change, which eliminated stoppers between ECR and Victoria. There was a 2tph Caterham to Victoria stopper but that was switched to London Bridge via Streatham Common/Tulse Hill/Peckham Rye.

 

[JonathanH]

I’ve never heard of the Horsham-Victoria (Arun Valley) service calling at Balham in recent decades. They’ve always run on the fasts.

My 81 year old mother who grew up in Balham may correct me on whether any fast services ever called at Balham. Maybe services via Sutton at some stage?

The reduction to 1tph between Balham/Wandsworth Common and East Croydon was a result of the 20th May timetable change, which eliminated stoppers between ECR and Victoria. There was a 2tph Caterham to Victoria stopper but that was switched to London Bridge via Streatham Common/Tulse Hill/Peckham Rye.

I think the original poster was referring to Horsham to Victoria via Sutton trains - these use the fast spur / up fast in the morning peak so can't stop at Balham. For the rest of the day, they don't stop at Balham because there is a separate slower service from Epsom via Mitcham Junction which does instead.

Obviously, the Horsham to Victoria via the Arun Valley trains don't stop at Balham as they run on the fast line. I would imagine that prior to 1978 Victoria to Horsham via East Croydon services didn't exist.

 

[Deepgreen]

Loosely on the topic of Southern timetables - the 1616 Clapham Junction (ex-Victoria) to Gatwick and Reigate left there today with the front four for Gatwick and the rear for Reigate (which is the normal order). However, while we stood at Redhill and the train split, the internal DMIs suddenly leapt to life (they'd been blank all the way so far) and showed the rear four for Gatwick, even though the platform staff who were dividing the train were directing Reigate passengers to the back! Several people must have been taken forward on the wrong train! I spoke to the guard at Reigate who said he had made announcements, which I heard, but could not decipher, as they were so soft as to be useless. The implementation of the splitting process (here and elsewhere) and the associated information needs to be much tighter and better-communicated.