Six-train commute: 100 miles, five hours a day, and a London wage
A 27-year-old Birmingham-area woman travels to London for a higher salary, enduring a lengthy and costly daily trek that she says is worth it for her career goals.
A 27-year-old Birmingham-area professional commutes 100 miles to London three days a week, taking six trains and spending about £400 to £450 a month on rail fares. She says the higher wage in the capital makes the long journey worthwhile, even before factoring in the time spent in transit. Her previous role in the charity sector ended with redundancy last spring amid the council’s debt problems, and she sought a position in a corporate setting that offered a clear progression path. The new role in London, which began in late 2024, carries a salary that is roughly 46 percent higher than her previous job, according to the profile of her situation.
Her routine is straightforward in structure but demanding in execution. Three days a week, she boards a 5.50 a.m. direct train from a Birmingham-area station to London Euston, a journey she completes in about 1 hour and 35 minutes. From Euston she transfers to two Tube lines to reach South Kensington, a total transit time of around two hours and 20 minutes. The return leg leaves London at 6.40 p.m., with her arriving home by 8.30 p.m. The next day she is back on a training schedule, meals, and evenings that include a gym session or a quick takeaway before another late train. The earliest trains are cheaper; after the off-peak window, fares can jump to £60 to £80 for the same routes, a factor she monitors closely when planning purchases.
Even with the cost of travel factored in, she remains financially ahead versus her previous earnings. While travel takes a chunk out of her monthly income, she estimates she still nets about 32 percent more per month than she did in her former role, thanks to the higher salary. She does not disclose her exact pay, but she says the calculation of rail costs was part of the decision to move. The commute is also a personal calculation about time and opportunity: the extra hours on the road are offset by the perceived value of the new role and the longer-term career upside of working in London.
The decision to relocate her professional life hinges on more than the salary delta. She started the London-based role in November 2024 after spending a week analyzing the total cost of commuting, including time, fatigue, and potential health effects. To keep costs manageable, she buys rail tickets two months in advance, a move that reduces unit prices and preserves more of her earnings for travel, holidays, and other discretionary spending. The early-morning schedule is intentional: she can still arrive at the office around 8:20 a.m. and work through a standard day, allowing for a late finish and a train home that fits her routine.
The routine is not without its sacrifices. Waking up roughly 12 minutes before departure, she uses the train ride to unwind—skincare routines, reading, or watching a show—before stepping into the office environment. She notes that the mornings have become a manageable part of the day and that the evenings remain flexible enough for light personal activities. The commute also keeps her connected to a broader urban experience: she describes London as a place where people save up to visit and where the professional leap can be justified by the anticipated long-run benefits of career advancement.
Despite the apparent benefits, she acknowledges the commute’s sustainability challenges. She says the arrangement is not feasible long-term and depends on continuing opportunities in London that would justify the time and expense. She envisions the current setup as a stepping-stone that could open doors for future roles, even as she remains mindful of the toll of such a long daily trek. The profile of her experience highlights a broader conversation about wage levels, housing costs, and the trade-offs faced by workers who must travel long distances for higher pay in competitive urban centers.
Overall, the story of this commuter underscores how a higher salary can influence decisions about geography and work-life balance, even when the cost is measured in hours spent commuting and hundreds of pounds spent on rail fares each month. For now, the three-day-a-week London path remains a calculated compromise that aligns with the employee’s professional aims and personal priorities, while remaining sensitive to the practical limits of future sustainability.