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Original poster

How bad is it really to commute to London?

46 replies

Forgetfulperson · 15/08/2018 14:38

Currently considering looking for jobs in London but my commute now is only 20 minutes so I know it'd be a huge adjustment! The train is 1hr 20 minutes to London from where I am and then it'd be whatever time on the Tube or bus to get to where I need to be. Am I crazy to even think about doing it?

OP posts:
NicoAndTheNiners · 15/08/2018 14:47

Well I've been doing that length of commute for 8 months and it's killed me. 1hr15mins on train than a bus/cycle to office.

Have handed my notice in.

BearCubX · 15/08/2018 14:52

I do 50-60 minutes on a train, often including a change. Then depending on which train I got, either 3 stops on the tube (northern line, hell) and a 5 min walk or just a 15 minute walk.

I used to absolutely hate it, but would never have given up my London salary!

Since having DC I resent it slightly as I see them less, but actually enjoy the time to myself. I get all life admin done on the train.

BearCubX · 15/08/2018 14:52

What London station would you be coming into?

madvixen · 15/08/2018 14:53

I do a 1hr 30 commute door to door. I thought I'd hate it but I actually quite enjoy it providing it runs to plan. The days I hate are the days when trains are cancelled/late. Luckily, that doesn't happen very often.
I have audio books on in the morning and then catch up on work, read or play suduko on the way home. I see it now as very much "my time" to do with as I please.

loveka · 15/08/2018 14:54

I do an hour and a half to London including tube. Many of my friends do.

I think any more than that would be too much, but I have known people do 2 hours and say they get used to it.

bollocksitshappenedagain · 15/08/2018 14:55

I think that would be quite long - I do a 35 minute rain and that's 1.5 hours by time I factor in walk to station and tube the other end.

How frequent are the trains - if they are one an hour it's potentially a 3 hour journey home if it's cancelled.

WhatAmISupposedToBeDoing · 15/08/2018 14:58

It's not just the train part - if you get a seat then even a longish journey is ok. It's all the other bits. Squashing on to horrible sweaty tubes and buses, or not even managing to squash on, waiting for hours because all your trains have been cancelled, the walk in the freezing driving rain to and from the office...

Original poster
Forgetfulperson · 15/08/2018 15:03

@BearCubX I'd be coming into Marylebone.

@bollocksitshappenedagain they're every half hour or so.

OP posts:
happydays00 · 15/08/2018 15:03

I did 2 hours door to door and mostly it was fine - the 50 minute train was actually the highlight and if my office had been within walking distance of that station it wouldn't have been an issue. What killed it for me was the 30 minute tube from Euston down to the south bank after a 15 minute car journey to station and then a 50 minute train. Like others have said, when trains are running to time and no strikes - it's bearable; when winter comes and any sign of leaves/frost/breeze/snow causes delays and cancellations it gets very tedious.

serbska · 15/08/2018 15:05

1h20 train is LONG when you also have to factor in the door to door time.

Expensive too.

arranfan · 15/08/2018 15:07

As others have said, if you have a seat on the train, it's relatively plain sailing. It's what you need to do at the other end - and what happens when (as often happens to us) there are signalling/track problems, and you're dropped at a tiny station in the middle of nowhere.

It's not unusual for a 90minute commute to take >3hrs in Winter. x2 a day. So, yes - something that should be 3hrs a day turns into >6.

MargoLovebutter · 15/08/2018 15:09

I was did 1 hour each way for years and it was fine but when my job moved across London and my commute became 1.35 /45 depending on how long it took me to catch 'the drain' in the morning, then it became a massive drag. I hung on in there for 9 months but just couldn't hack it any more, as it was so exhausting.

Storm4star · 15/08/2018 15:11

I think you'd be mad personally! You are probably looking at nearer 2 hours door to door, with no guarantee of a seat. Even if you can get a seat on your longer train (highly unlikely on the tube in rush hour), that length of travel would still be exhausting. And yes, it would be very expensive. If you had your dream job lined up, and could maybe negotiate a day from home or something, possibly. But if you haven't even found something yet I would look closer to home.

viques · 15/08/2018 15:16

The trouble with any commute is that when things all slot together and work you get into a routine and it becomes second nature, it's when things go tits up and the train is cancelled, or there is a person under the tube train and the line is closed that it gets tricky.

I only work one day a week and it is the world's easiest commute, on a good day it is 15 minutes door to door by car, but I have to negotiate a notorious roundabout junction, and if there is an accident or hold up it becomes log jammed in minutes, so my journey can go from 15 minutes to an hour and a half in seconds, and it quite often does!

cyantist · 15/08/2018 15:22

My commute to London is ideally just under an hour door to door. I've done it in under 30 mins before (but that requires someone to pick me up from a different station). I couldn't cope with a commute almost twice that, but I know lots of people who have done so for years and are fine with it.

It depends how it would fit with your personal life

Original poster
Forgetfulperson · 15/08/2018 16:48

Yeah, it's probably a bad idea it seems! If I could get something walking distance from Marylebone I wouldn't mind so much but it's the potential for another 30 minutes on top of that which makes it more unappealing.

OP posts:
GallicosCats · 15/08/2018 16:53

I used to do 1 and a half hours door to door. Wasn't that bad TBH, drive to the station, train and bus or walk, but it was so expensive it didn't stack up once I had kids. It's even pricier now. I work part-time in a local town and take home almost as much as what I'd end up with if I were commuting on a full time salary.

lackingimagination · 15/08/2018 16:54

Horrible! Just horrible.

Loopytiles · 15/08/2018 16:56

Have commuted for many years, shorter journey than yours and no tube, and have built in exercise where I can, but it’s shitty IME.

Tube leg makes it doubly unpleasant IMO: with transfers, crowding and delays you could easily be looking at 2 hours each way. That would be detrimental to quality of life IMO.

LighthouseSouth · 15/08/2018 17:42

In around 25 years of work, the best commute I've had is an hour.

The worst was 1hr 45 mins if everything ran smoothly. I lasted three months in that job, which was shit for other reasons, but commission was v good. The commute was all Tube, bus, walk so no extortionate train fare from out of town, so one option would have mini cab one way, in order to keep the commission, but they had a killer long hours culture and I decided it wasn't worth it.

Prob about 5 of those years I've had a commute of 90 mins each way which was doable because my employer allowed me to do emails etc on the bus and that time off either side of the day, so I was in the office 10 till 4.

That's the only way I'd do a longer commute again tbh. If it's your only option then of course you have to pay bills, but if there's any way to avoid it, I would.

Violetroselily · 15/08/2018 17:42

Depends on how reliable your train service is. If the service is poor, commuting can be miserable. If it's very busy, will you be happy potentially having to stand for an hour+?

Are you dependent on connections in your journey? If so, look at how much leeway you have and what options are if you miss one train, will you have to wait long for the next one etc. Will you have a walk/bus/drive from home to the station?

dudsville · 15/08/2018 17:47

I wouldn't. I used to commute to London. Iirc it was nearly 2 hrs door to door. It was only for a few years and I knew it would end, but it was still hard to sustain. That's 4 hours a day not including delays, cancellation, cold platforms in winter, the crush of the commuters. And if you see friends after work it makes for suuuuuch a long night. I currently commute 1hr each way door to door. I'll need to sustain this for 9 more years but I think it's reasonable for a well paid job and a wonderful home environment which does not exist closer to work.

MrStarkIDontFeelSoGood · 15/08/2018 18:15

Experience :

First time you do it, well this is alright not a problem at all

Day 5 : well it's a bit of a ballache I grant you

Day 10 : Please Kill Me

ForalltheSaints · 15/08/2018 18:49

If you had a job near Marylebone, good, maybe not otherwise. Check how frequent trains are as well.

Angrybird345 · 15/08/2018 18:57

Do you like getting on a train, only for it to stop after a few stations and get kicked off? Or the train just decides not to stop at your station? Or trains that just don’t show up? And your face can be inches from a sweaty armpit. And you pay shed loads for the privilege.

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