More than 100 Southern train services are set to be reinstated next week as the struggling operator seeks to return to a full timetable.

In July Southern cancelled 341 scheduled services on its network, blaming "unprecedented sickness levels" among its staff.

The introduction of the emergency timetable came amid a long-running dispute with the RMT union and public criticism from passengers and politicians about the reliability of Southern services.

From Monday services between Sutton and Streatham via Wimbledon will be reinstated, along with trains between Guildford and Leatherhead.

RELATED: Rail operator Southern confirms plans to axe 341 trains a day

Services between London Bridge and Beckenham Junction will also resume, along with all inner-London "metro services" and the West London line between Croydon and Watford.

Altogether 119 services will be reinstated from Monday.

Charles Horton, the chief executive of Southern's parents company Govia Thameslink Railway, said: “We know how difficult life has been for our passengers recently and we are sincerely sorry. Our aim has been to bring back as much of the timetable as quickly as we could and for several weeks we've had September as our target to begin the reinstatement of trains.

"We're pleased that we can restore a large chunk of our train timetable for our passengers on this date but we will not be satisfied until the full timetable is running, and running in a punctual way people can rely on."

The partially reinstated timetable means that nine out of ten Southern trains will operate as scheduled, the company said.

It also plans to "bring back the remaining train services to its timetable incrementally in the coming weeks".

RELATED: Southern train guards announce fresh strike action

Mr Horton warned that the reintroduction of a full timetable was being hampered by the "cynically orchestrated" actions of the RMT union, which has planned a three-day walkout next week as part of a long-running row over changes to the role of conductors on trains.

But Mick Cash, RMT General Secretary, said the company was simply trying to defect its "own gross managerial incompetence on their front line staff".

He added: "Our disputes over guards and ticket offices are about putting safety and services before company profits.

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"The fact is that services wouldn't have been slashed in the first place if GTR had employed enough staff to fill the rosters. The emergency timetable, large chunks of which remain in place, is a product of management failure on this franchise on an epic scale.

"Trying to set staff up in the firing line for the top bosses failures is disgraceful and cynical behaviour by Southern."

Services reinstated on Monday will resume exactly a week after the partial-opening of a new concourse at London Bridge, which bosses predict will reduce delays at the staion. 

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