Bear in mind that once the new Travelcard capping comes in (no off-peak) there will be others using the trains pre 0930 that previously might have waited til later.

Reference journey times increasing to give more wiggle room is an excellent example of where having KPI targets drives the wrong behaviour rather than the improvements it was intended for.

If it does all prove horrendous from Jan, then it might be worth seriously thinking about trying a cycle commute in the spring and reclaim that annual travelcard. Forest Hill into town takes 30-40 minutes (less if you're a speedier sort) and you'll always get a seat.

Cramming onto buses/trains and never knowing when I might arrive in the office was why I started doing it several years ago - and from the few days that I now do it, the service has got worse. My commute went from the most frustrating to one of the best bits of my day.

Then again, that doesn't help improve the service for those who can't (aside from perhaps making it a little less overcrowded). Good luck all