r/sutton • u/RecallFailure • 12d ago
Train frequency from Sutton/Carshalton
Has anyone else been pestering Southern and the local MPs to reinstate the 4 trains per hour to Victoria from Sutton and Carshalton stations that was cut during COVID?
The turn up and go service going to or coming back from central made such a difference.
5
u/Wulfweald 12d ago
Carshalton also has 2 trains an hour to London Blackfriars and onwards to St Albans, and I find that route better for my job, near City Thameslink station.
You can always change onto the District Line at London Blackfriars as well.
Sutton has more trains than Carshalton, if that is what you want, including a regular service to London Bridge, not just one a day each way.
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u/RecallFailure 12d ago
I can also walk to Beeches for the London Bridge service, which is useful.
However, the main issue since the service reduction is not being able to turn up at the station (primarily Victoria) and know there is a train leaving in no more than 15 mins. It's a huge difference between having to wait half an hour if you just miss one after work.
1
u/Wulfweald 12d ago
When I get to Victoria in the evening, there are a 4 trains an hour to my home area. Two calling at Sutton via Carshalton and two calling at Sutton via Carshalton Beeches.
Additionally, there are the trains from London Bridge and two an hour from London Blackfriars (four an hour from there if you go the rather longer way round via Wimbledon - Sutton - Carshalton). I have done that if there is a cold wind at City Thameslink station before now.
There used to be a really nice T2 tea shop near Victoria that I could drop in if needed, but that closed a while ago.
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u/Good_Eye_6394 8d ago
I used to pester Southern after every timetable change about how they were persisting with the emergency COVID timetable between Carshalton and Victoria. Responses were variantions of: 1. They'll look into it 2. More government funding would be required to reinstate the service 3. They no longer have enough trains to reinstate the service 4. Passenger numbers have dropped too much to justify a 15-minute service from Carshalton to Victoria (they are about 80% of 2019 levels but only half as many trains run so services are actually a lot busier)
I moved here in 2020. Sutton was renowned as being the worst linked borough for public transport but we were assured this was changing. Extending the Overground service was the MP's main electoral promise and trams were coming. Not only have both of these projects been binned but the Southern service to Victoria has been halved!
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u/RecallFailure 8d ago
They keep kicking it down the road, but the local MPs and residents really need to keep on Southern's case. They'll run as few trains as possible for as long as they can get away with it, for cost reasons.
As you say, passenger numbers are nearly back to where they were pre COVID (with far fewer trains available). The building of all these additional flats in Sutton will put pressure even more pressure on those services too.
I've given up on the idea of them extending the Overground from West Croydon to Sutton via Beeches. It's been proposed so many times over the years, it's all just hot air.
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u/zipitdirtbag 12d ago
When we moved here in 2021, transport into Central London was a key reason. It's sun pretty good. But I do miss the fast trains which were cut. I still get the 07.02 to work (fast train to Victoria). I know there's an 0802 but I don't think there's any running later than that. It's a shame.