Talking of coaches, I wonder at what stage National Express or A N Other will consider relaunching a regular coach service to London. The early morning / late night service in 2016 didn't last long, but there must come a point when someone believes there's money to be made. I believe the existing coach service between Central Southend - SEN - Chelmsford - STN does well. Perhaps a SEN - LGW service calling at a few key locations along the way would work.
Just as an afterthought, the weekend and early evening shutdowns on the railway will never end unless something dramatic changes in how our railways are run. The train operating companies don't really give a damn, because if they had a choice they wouldn't even run services off peak.