But would the 707s have moved if Stagecoach had retained the SW franchise ? The way I read it was it was First / MTR that didn't want them for whatever reason.
Yes, unless they wanted to keep them as a microfleet that didn't work certain services at certain times of day. As they can't put handrails on the ceiling, they weren't judged to meet the 0.25m^2/passenger capacity that was key to meeting the franchise requirements, so they had to go
Yet the class 700 - also a Desiro City - was selected for Thameslink where high capacity was needed due to heavy loadings and standing room on offer was a factor......
There's high standing capacity, and then there's high standing capacity. They suffice on Thameslink, but for the SW metro services they don't (or at least, didn't in the eyes of the DfT at the time of the franchise), though this is getting offtopic for 365 withdrawals!