Morning commute to London..

[Bizniz888]

Hi,

I’ve just been offered a very good job however it's in the middle of London ! I’m not too familiar with commuting into London I have only travelled there once in a train before. I’m normally in a bit of a rush in the morning so will want to be getting food ( mainly breakfast ) on the train or at either station. I’m going to be travelling either from Temple meads Bristol to Paddington or ParkWay Bristol to Paddington and will be using Virgin Train services.

Just out of interest what do you all do for breakfast? Most of you are probably like me and don’t have time because I got to drive to the train station early in the morning!? Bit random I know :S

Im interested to know

Cheers

 

[Cornish Steve]

Think long and hard about it. I travelled from Rugby to Euston every weekday for 20 months, and it nearly killed me:

- The train was packed, but stupid BR wouldn't let anyone sit in first class, which was empty, so it meant standing about one day in five.

- There were frequent delays, maybe 30 minutes once a week or so and an hour or more 5-6 times a year.

- Then there's the journey at each end. I cycled to the station in Rugby and walked or took the Tube in London.

- Even on a good day, it was dark and my children were asleep when I left home and it was dark and the children were asleep when I arrived home,

After a while, it really takes it out of you, and the expense is significant. I view that period as by far the most difficult of our lives - 'our' because it was as tough on my wife as it was on me, even though she was at home.

Breakfast is the least of it!

 

[kay_louises]

With regards to breakfast - when I commuted to London, I just used to get up half an hour earlier, and had breakfast at home before I left. I just can't function without breakfast, plus I prefered to eat in the comfort of my own home rather than on a stuffy train!

 

[Tom McClelland]

Hi,

I’ve just been offered a very good job however it's in the middle of London ! I’m not too familiar with commuting into London I have only travelled there once in a train before. I’m normally in a bit of a rush in the morning so will want to be getting food ( mainly breakfast ) on the train or at either station. I’m going to be travelling either from Temple meads Bristol to Paddington or ParkWay Bristol to Paddington and will be using Virgin Train services.

Just out of interest what do you all do for breakfast? Most of you are probably like me and don’t have time because I got to drive to the train station early in the morning!? Bit random I know :S

Im interested to know

Cheers

Don't do it for long. Large parts of your waking life that could otherwise be spent productively or enjoying yourself will turn into a living hell. By the time you factor in the cost of the train carpark and rail ticket (paid for out of taxed wages) and the vile hours spent travelling that "very good job" had better pay at least £40kpa more than you'd get for a local position that you could spend 20 minutes driving or cycling to. Don't forget to allow plenty of time to get from Paddington to wherever the job is, in tubes that are foul in summer, and packed throughout the year.

Sorry to be a wet blanket, I did this for 7 years from Reading to London. A lot easier, and I lived within walking distance of Reading station. Never again. I didn't realise how much my life had been polluted and wasted by it until I stopped.

 

[cjd]

Don't do it under any circumstances - it really isn't worth it. And don't be fooled into thinking you'll only do it for a while; you won't, most people finish up doing it for years - sometimes life.

If you are determined, at least make the journey (as a proper commuter) once before you say yes and then try to imagine doing it for a year then multiply how bad you found it by 10.

 

[Simon-M]

Armpit nuzzling on the tube is very unpleasant. It's amazing how unclean these commuters are. You would think that with armpits on daily parade these dirty buggers would take a bath once a week.

The journey itself from Bristol to Paddington is not too bad. Nice fast train with few stops. I sometimes pick it up at Slough when going into town. Just 15 minutes from Slough to Paddington on that train.

The underground is the worst part of any London journey for me. What line will you be travelling on?

 

[Tom McClelland]

The journey itself from Bristol to Paddington is not too bad. Nice fast train with few stops. I sometimes pick it up at Slough when going into town. Just 15 minutes from Slough to Paddington on that train.

The underground is the worst part of any London journey for me. What line will you be travelling on?

Don't forget that the standard class seats on most modern trains are not designed for passenger comfort. They're designed to pack the maximum people into the minimum space. This involves a short seat and a seat-back that is almost vertical. If facing people at a table there is no room to put your feet forward and your elbows will be rubbing your neighbour. All this is tolerable if you're on the train for 20-25 minutes to run from Slough to Paddington but intolerable for 3 hours a day.

In my opinion the person who spoke of being an hour or more late 5-6 times a year was being hopelessly optimistic, but that could be my experience of the Paddington line talking.

If I had to do this now, I wouldn't even consider it other than using first class for the train journey. At least that way you can get a comfortable seat with plenty of elbow and legroom.

 

[Videoguy]

Commuting long distances can be hell. I've done it twice for long periods in my working life -- the last time was from deepest Kent to London (cycle or long walk to station, train, tube, bus) a journey of over two hours each way on a good day. It's not something I'd willingly do again. You get accustomed to it after a while, though, and only realise what you've been missing when you stop doing it!

As far as breakfast was concerned when I was commuting to London: I used to choke down a bowl of cereal and half a cup of instant coffee in about 10 minutes before rushing out the door. Those were the days -- not!

 

[Write My Site]

Is moving to London an option?

 

[DanMartin]

I'm going to be travelling either from Temple meads Bristol to Paddington or ParkWay Bristol to Paddington and will be using Virgin Train services.

I'm based in Bristol and I regularly travel from Temple Meads to London for meetings and events. It's actually First Great Western which runs the service to Paddington. You can take South West Trains to Waterloo but they generally take over two hours. When there are no delays (which do happen quite often!) it takes around one hour and 45 minutes to get to Paddington.

As for breakfast, if you're taking morning commuter services I'd highly recommend eating at home before you leave. The trains are generally packed and you'll struggle to make it to the buffet car! If you can hold out until you get to Paddington station, there's a nice bagel place and also an outlet serving porridge.

Overall though, I'd also recommend moving closer to London if you can as the many hours spent on a train as well as the cost will soon grind you down!

 

[Bizniz888]

oh right ok it seems like the commute into London is very hard then , well the job is well paid , im not sure exactly what tube line I will need to get yet from Piccadilly Station. As for the breakfast side of thing was just wondering if they sell any cereal for example on the cart on the train or anything.

Cheers for the advice ill have to think about the commute more i think

 

[Officebird]

My other half works in London and commutes there on a weekly basis from Darlington, County Durham. He has a rather flash caravan which is like a second home that he lives in during the week and it is sited on a lovely site in essex. There's a clubhouse, boating lake kids playground etc. In the summer I go down with my little one for some weekends to relieve the burden of travelling. We couldn't move closer as he moves around the country so we'd be moving every year or so! It works for us but it's not easy, I would suggest your best option is to move but realise thats not always as easy as it sounds

 

[Tom McClelland]

I went and looked at how much it is going to cost for the pleasure of sitting on a FGW train for 3-4 hours per day.

Standard class (horrible if you're doing it every day for that distance) is £9000/year
First class (much more endurable) is £16000/year
Add £1000/year for zone 1 annual tube pass to Piccadilly.
Add £1200/year (guess) for parking at Bristol stations

Gross up at 40% marginal tax rate, and you're looking at needing £20k extra salary just to break even at standard class, and £32k extra salary to break even at first class. Then you need to work out what you value your time at for 5 hours/day of travelling (including tube/transfers) and factor that in. If you don't value your time at all, and you don't need compensation for the squalor of the journey experience, then you only need £20k-£32k more to be standing still compared with a local job.

I've a suspicion that a lot of people on those long-distance commuter runs don't work out the true cost to them of what they're doing. Arithmetic isn't everybody's strong point.

 

[Zeppman]

I used to travel 85 miles one way from Margate to Cannon Street, i.e. 1 hr 40 mins. The train started its journey 3 stops down at Ramsgate and there was always loads of space available until we reached Chatham, the last stop before Cannon Street. I would sleep a third of the journey and breakfast was a coffee on arrival. My office was a 15 minute walk along the south bank. In the evening I would take the 17:40 from Cannon Street and nearly always got a seat. On the occasion I didn't as soon as we passed Chatham going home seats were available. I would get home around 19:30 hrs. I didn't have any real problem with it.

 

[rjharrison]

Don't do it.

I worked in London for 6 months before escaping (and that was just commuting around the city on the tube). Think of the worst sterotype you can for rush-hour commuting on the tube, and it's every bit as bad.

 

[SK Virtual Assistant]

Hi - I agree that you should make the journey at exactly the time and just as you would as if doing it for real. And definitely total up the cost - commuting is not as cheap as it should be in a society where they keep harping on about getting us out of our cars.

I commuted from just outside London for about 15 years - I live about 12 miles from London and my entire journey - walk to station, train journey, walk to work along the South Bank (I was one of the lucky ones, I didn't have to use the tube in my last couple of years working in London) would take just under an hour without delays on the trains.

The tube is definitely the pits - I've been stuck on hot, stuffy trains in the middle of tunnels on boiling summer days and many a time had to ward off a panic attack with someone taller than me breathing garlic breath down on me and the 'aroma d'armpit' all around. My worst experience was being 8 weeks pregnant and just as the doors were about to close, an old man, very well dressed and very well to do, held his briefcase out in front of him, shoved it into my stomach and pushed hard just so he could wedge himself into the already overpacked car. nasty nasty nasty.

Of course, not all commutes were as horrendous and many journeys passed with me having a seat and a good book to read. But, about a year ago, I thought about returning to London to work and I realised it was impossible because I could never face commuting again.

Do the journey during peak hours and decide for yourself. It's the only way you'll know.

Good luck.

 

[Paula Barrett]

My worst experience was being 8 weeks pregnant and just as the doors were about to close, an old man, very well dressed and very well to do, held his briefcase out in front of him, shoved it into my stomach and pushed hard just so he could wedge himself into the already overpacked car. nasty nasty nasty.

That is shocking! Did he realise what he had done?

I have to make a journey from Bristol to London every now and then - as do many in our office. Most journeys have horrible delays, are stressful and crowded. I used to commute to Cardiff from Bristol and I even hated that!

At the moment I live 30 minutes from work and one of the nicest parts of my day is the cycle into work. You have to think of the quality of life you will get from the commuting lifestyle and need to decide if the job is worth that.

If you do decide and want advice on the breakfast question (which I think was your original question!) - why not make up a smoothie by blending fruit and putting it in a bottle or taking cereal bars. That way you will keep healthy and you'll be able to drink it on the move/if you can't find a seat. Buying breakfast on the station every day will work out pretty expensive.

Good luck!

 

[Bizniz888]

ok i think i will try a " test commute" into London. Then jump on a few of the tube trains and see how it goes but from what people have been saying it doesnt sound pleasent. thanks for all the advice you could of saved me from making a big mistake.

 

[Project man]

I still go into London too often (from Loughborough, Leics). Often you can't get a seat. The other day I stayed overnight in London due to a "security alert" closing the station for hours. That was OK for me as I charge back the expence but I could not do it more than 1 day a week. Long distance commuting is a Killer. It looks easy on paper. Reality is not the same.

The money would have to be huge to get me to commute regulally.

 

[SK Virtual Assistant]

Quote:
Originally Posted by SK Virtual Assistant
My worst experience was being 8 weeks pregnant and just as the doors were about to close, an old man, very well dressed and very well to do, held his briefcase out in front of him, shoved it into my stomach and pushed hard just so he could wedge himself into the already overpacked car. nasty nasty nasty.

That is shocking! Did he realise what he had done?

Paula, I told him that I was pregnant to which he replied that unless I wore a sign around my neck saying so how should he know!!! I responded that I wouldn't expect any civilized person to shove their briefcase in anybody's stomach - pregnant or not.

Anyway, I don't mean to hijack the thread. Good luck with your decision Bizniz.