Norbury to Swindon commuting advice

[shoulderinback]

Dear all,

My requirement: Need to commute from Norbury (South London) to Swindon for approx 6months at minimal cost (have just come out of uni with the associated debts)

My resources:
-Company has agreed to provide a 6 month 75% season ticket subsidy for a max season ticket value for £1500.(So for £600 season ticket value I get £450 subsidy-£150 paid out of pocket) So the maximum season ticket subsidy I can get is £1125. (Anything above £1500 I have to pay out of pocket)
-I am still eligible for a 16-25 railcard
-My company has allowed some flexibility in hours so can start between 9 and 10 and finish between 5 and 6 and work on the train remotely.


What I have looked at so far is:

-6month Swindon to London 1-6 travelcard: £5156.40 - £1125 subsidy=£4031

-6month Reading to London 1-6 travelcard (via Paddington FGW): So I'd travel up to Reading on the travelcard . I'd buy a truckload of super saver advance fares between Reading and Swindon combined with Young Persons Railcard- which can on some fares work out at £3.95 each way. I could remain on the same train between Paddington and Swindon.

£2893.90-£1125 subsidy + (120days x £3.95 x2) £948=£2716
This is an optimistic estimate that assumes I would be able to book the £3.95 in advance for everyday.

-6month Reading to Norbury (Via Clapham Junction SWT) So change at Clapham Junction and travel to Reading on SWT and then change onto a FGW HST to Swindon. My only worry with this is that it the service between Clapham Junction and Reading is less frequent and if the train is delayed I could miss my FGW connection to Swindon from Reading thereby losing my advance super saver ticket. This route involves the most connections but is half the cost.

£2223.40- £1125 subsidy + (120days x £3.95 x2) £948=£2046.4

I think these are all the combinations that I have available to me, unless you guys are aware of any more? I hope what I've posted makes sense.

Thanks for the help!

 

[miami]

My only worry with this is that it the service between Clapham Junction and Reading is less frequent and if the train is delayed I could miss my FGW connection to Swindon from Reading thereby losing my advance super saver ticket. This route involves the most connections but is half the cost.

If you miss your advance ticket because of a delay on another train, I'm fairly sure they have to take you on the next service.

 

[Merseysider]

If you miss your advance ticket because of a delay on another train, I'm fairly sure they have to take you on the next service.

Yes, railway-caused delays do not invalidate your advance; you are allowed to travel on the next available train (run by the same company).

 

[maniacmartin]

If you're used to London prices, you may be surprised how cheap renting a flat is in Swindon might be. Admittedly more than the ticket combinations you've priced up above, but you won't be stuck on long rail journeys every day.

 

[bb21]

At that sort of price, I would certainly advocate moving to Swindon. You will find the commute exhausting before long if you opt for the SWT option.

 

[themeone]

If you're used to London prices, you may be surprised how much cheap renting a flat is in Swindon might be. Admittedly more than the ticket combinations you've priced up above, but you won't be stuck on long rail journeys every day.

Agreed - as an illustration, I let out a 2 bed flat in Swindon for £630 pcm, which is considered on the high side of average for the area.

I wonder if your employer's offer of a travel subsidy would extend to an accommodation subsidy?

Transferring between Victoria and Paddington is always a hassle, and not quick either. I reckon you'd be looking at around 4 hours per day commuting.

 

[lightning76]

I can only echo the replies above. The GWR service, while not terrible, is not ultra reliable either, and the SWT service is painful enough to do once, let alone daily as part of a three-leg journey. Don't do it!

If, presumably, you are currently paying for accommodation in London, you would certainly find Swindon cheap. At higher accommodation prices, but to live somewhere nicer and with more going on, you could try Bristol (£1,844 for 6 months to Swindon) or Oxford (£76 per month on the bus).

 

[anme]

I sympathise with your predicament. Commuting will be expensive and waste a lot of time... but living in Swindon hardly bears thinking about (especially if you have friends in London). It is only for six months. Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

[ravenik45]

I will also echo the replies above. I would much rather live close by to my work, even if it's only temporary.

Even if you have the "reverse flow commute," that would still be approx. 4 hours a day (door to door).

 

[CatfordCat]

National Rail Enquiries is suggesting at best about 2 hours 10, and that's Norbury Station to Swindon Station of course, so there's the walk at each end to consider as well.

Worth bearing in mind that every additional leg of a journey is one more chance of something being delayed.

If you're thinking of using the Reading - Waterloo line, while 'off peak' direction trains might not be quite as full as the London Peak, there's quite a lot of commuting to destinations west of London - Egham (for Holloway College), Bracknell and Reading all have significant commuter flows.

In terms of the daily commute / temporary lodging question, it's in part a question of whether you want to be too bloody knackered to do anything much in London during the week or to be in Swindon during the week - if the latter, bear in mind there will be a cost in commuting back to London for the weekend (a lot of people do this, although it tends more to be people who have jobs in London and live elsewhere.)

And depends whether this really is the sort of job where you can just up and go at 5, or whether it's the sort of job where you're expected to 'just stay and finish this'