I'm in the ~£4k* a year bracket. The train takes about ~40 minutes to get to London, which is pretty good. You won't get a seat though, so that's 40 minute s

I'm in the ~£4k* a year bracket. The train takes about ~40 minutes to get to London, which is pretty good. You won't get a seat though, so that's 40 minute standing packed in like cattle on a train service that's often late. Of course, network rail, the line operator, kicks back money for lateness but the strange rules of your franchise like paying out only on overall lateness and not considering a train that's too full for you to get on as late means they keep 90% of that back for themselves. For most folks that's only part one of your commute, because few of us actually work where we get into the city. Typically this means getting on the underground for another 30 minutes, this time cattle is being a bit polite. * Actually, the £4000 is what I would pay if I paid for a yearly ticket. Since I don't always work in London, I get month tickets. These cost £400 a month.