Falling apart - Going to work is now hellish.

[brucemillar]

Friends

This is as much a rant as general reach out for knowledge of others coping strategies and experiences.

I 'have' to commute from North Kent into Central London, 3 or 4 days per week, every week. It has never been an enjoyable experience, but I could tolerate it by getting myself into a zone whereby I would simply live in my own little bubble during the commute.

Despite repeated Government and Transport Company promises over the years, things have never got easier or better. To give some context to that statement:

My 'normal' destination station, London Bridge, has been out of action for some months due to 'modernisation'. So I have to travel to Victoria then travel back and forth across town on the tube and foot adding considerable time and physical puff to my already long day.

The whole situation is made worse by the constant almost daily (no exaggeration) cancellations and delays on both the trains and the tube. This is normally done with zero notice and can add hours to a working day.

It appears that as the trains are modernised, the track infrastructure is collapsing. 'Signal Failure' or 'Points Failure' have become well used verbs that even my non commuting family are familiar with. External factors "person on the line' or as TFL privately refer "jumpers" are becoming a weekly event, to the point that they no longer draw any sympathy. I find myself referring to "another jumper" with not even the slightest thought to the tragedy that some families are now experiencing.

being able to sit down on either the inbound or the outbound journey is now a luxury and a long forgotten experience despite my daily fare costing £50+. The trans are simply packed beyond any hope of being able to sit, standing is actually difficult if the train rocks or brakes unexpectedly. One passenger falls? several then get caught in the domino effect.

Tempers are short with heated exchanges and accusations and counter claims, being the norm on almost every journey. High on the list is foot crushing or "touching" where (I have witnessed this myself on many occasions) some travelers use the cramped space to sexually touch their fellow travelers. It is assault, but most feign innocence blaming the crowding.

At the most basic levels, there is no access to toilets, either on the station or (worse still) on the trains. Not good for some but barbaric and humiliating for those less able bodied, who cannot elbow and muscle their way through a packed carriage, to a urine soaked cubicle, that is normally "out of operation".

The answer is simple: Don't commute.

Well I cannot afford to retire without a dramatic and drastic change in lifestyle = sell up and downsize.

I didn't sign up for this. Every year I am promised improvements in 'faster journey times' and better rolling stock, more trains and newer track infrastructure. "Free Beer Tomorrow", springs to mind.

I used to commute to New York and San Francisco (three weeks out, two weeks home) and that was less stressful commute.

I know there are no real time answers and just wanted to vent.

My recent letter to South Eastern Trains and the Transport Minister regarding the complete lack of any seating or basic human facilities brought a stern and swift response. "My £50 ticket entitles me to travel on the day stated. it does not entitle me to a seat (although there may some available) or a toilet (I should use these before making my journey)"

Any other fed up commuters out there?

 

[ioweddie]

Sell up and come and live on the Isle of Wight, cheap housing, lovely pace of life, on holiday all year round.
I did it 20 years ago and never looked back.

 

[Druk]

Sympathy Bruce. Where did you originate from...was it Falkirk? It’s just so nice living up here.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

I played with "beyond the M25" rail commuting once and vowed never again.

My line was actually pretty reliable but I loathed the 6.55 in the Middle of Winter platform thing. (Although catching a train after a couple of beers of an evening was not so bad - on most fronts).

Solutions? I can only offer two: retire / down job (is that even a phrase?) early - no one really needs that much money;

or find a Mon-Thurs room in London (but no "youknowwhat")

The funny thing is I spent most of my time advocating technology change that was supposed make office lives easier, and facilitate telecommuting. Work is certainly easier, with lots of private interests pursued during the "working" day, but it's blurred the line into private life and made the out of the home day longer.

 

[Steveml63]

Hi Bruce
Only solution - work from home!
It possibly means changing your job or becoming self employed.
I did it in 2014 and now earn more than I did working full time - just working two or less days per week.
It took some planning and a bit of imagination - but it is well worth it.
I also highly recommend that you read Timothy Ferris’s book - The 4 Hour Work Week (followed by Tools of Titans).
These books will help you to focus on using your time effectively and reduce the clutter and stress of the daily commute that you are currently suffering (which can’t really be good for your health!)
Best of luck!
Steve

 

[Headhurts]

Bruce, a journey from hell for you and similar passengers.

I just could not tolerate it and would rather change jobs than endure that sort of trip, don’t forget you spend more time working than anything even possibly sleeping.

I get stressed having to use the park and ride into the city (Norwich) and it’s never packed.

You probably need to assess your life and weigh up if the money earned is worth the stress on your life.

I am retired now so it’s easy for me to offer advice sitting in the comfort of my lounge watching the birds in the garden, but you only have one go at life make the most of it.

Robin


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[markmifsud]

I commute daily with ThamesLink, the same company as SouthEastern. I now get the earlier train so that when its cancelled I have something to fall back on. Whilst my train journey isnt a long one, I too rarely get a seat and often struggle to even get a comfortable standing position.

 

[WDB124066]

I've walked from a few jobs because of this and will choose not to work even now because of it. The other way to manage the problem is to charge for travel time.

 

[Doodle]

Commute by motorbike? I've done this for the majority of my working life, mostly due to lack of parking. This is the first job I've had for many years that has a surplus of parking onsite (and therefore used the car), but after 4 years fighting through Reading I've had enough.

 

[grober]

Like others all I can advise is working from home or perhaps going part time 3 days a week rather than 5 or even a combination of both. Widowed friend in his late sixties went part time and is much less stressed. Taken a cut in salary of course but still retains his company car and Bupa. That and because he's on his own at home he still gets the social and intellectual stimulation of a work environment which while often stressful has its benefits also.

 

[Deleted member 6183]

Only you can know when is the time to downscale whether it be home, job or both.

For me it was over 3 years ago when I realised that being away from home most of the week, doing massive miles and hours just wasn't worth the good money. I was shocked to realise that when I stepped back I had been spending £1000 a month just being in work, I used my credit card for all work related costs and found at the end of the month when my expenses were claimed that I was circa £1k short which I had to pay from my own salary - lunches, post work beers, all the little things that you forget to keep track of or are not claimable.

I was lucky enough to get wind of a potential restructure which might affect my role so I hung around a bit longer hoping that I could escape with a bung.

When it happened I set up my own business from home in the same industry just a change of role, over the last two years this has evolved into a business where I rarely have to leave the house, clients come to me or the transaction is managed via phone and email exclusively.

My days now follow a pattern of long dog walk, leisurely breakfast, work from half ten to about 4. I can make myself available for elderly mother duties, home stuff and walk down to the village for an early dinner with the Mrs once a week.

It takes balls to make the change but I don't know of many who regret it.

 

[davidjpowell]

I have not commuted regularly for years, but my work journeys take me on a round trip through England and Wales, or Ireland and Northern Ireland, with the odd trip into other European destinations. I rarely use the train, unless I need to get into Central London - and even then I may well jump in from a closer station while I am on my circuit.

Most weeks I cover 1,000 miles or so. UK roads are no better than the trains. Too many people on them, and too many crashing with no real comeback. These people cause hours of delays, cost the economy millions. They put their insurance claim in and are back on the road a week later. No-where does anyone suggest that driver training might be a good idea where someone has cocked up.

There is no easy answer. Only hard ones.

 

[Peter103]

Ged on your hoss and ged outa town, there's more to life, just do it! I did years ago , love it!,!

 

[brucemillar]

Sympathy Bruce. Where did you originate from...was it Falkirk? It’s just so nice living up here.

Derek

I was born in Cumnock, but grew up in Kilmarnock before leaving to seek pastures new in 1976. I have worked and lived all over the globe and have to say (as it's true for me) we have the most diabolical, calamitous, public transport system (certainly in the South East).

It is run on self interest and bonus with no thought for customers in evidence anywhere. We recently had reported that a lady in a wheelchair had to wet herself when the train she was on had no working toilet(s). I cannot think how much harder the company would have to actually work to humiliate somebody more than this?

When you think that for £250+ per week you cannot even get a seat on a train that takes upwards of 2 hours in each direction, is diverted to station that you did not wish to travel to for over eighteen months (more expense to the traveler) and rarely, if at all runs on the published timetable, we are the joke of the commuting world. I would be not in the slightest surprised were I spot people hanging of the outside of carriages.



The shocking disregard for the fair paying public is highlighted in their response to my written request for information on how I may be seated = "You have no right to expect a seat, only to expect travel on the day of your ticket".

So you can get on, piss your pants and get off again at a station you didn't wish to go to and all for £50 per day. It adds a whole new meaning to the Golden Age of Rail Travel.

 

[Steveml63]

Sounds more like The Golden Shower of Rail Travel!

 

[WDB124066]

But privatisation is so good, how could this possibly be Bruce? Do we need more third worlders to make it even better..?

 

[AMGeed]

You have my sympathy Bruce, and anyone else having to commute in the capital out of neccessity.
Its good to see the ideas of Red Ken, Boris and Khan spending the congestion charge windfall on improving public transport in London is a roaring success........not!

 

[Yugguy]

Years back, late 90s, I did Staplehurst to Charing Cross and back for about 6 months. That was enough for me.

 

[BTB 500]

I've done the daily rail commute into London since 1983.

One funny thing is that I still have the same photocard - 34 years ago I looked completely different (quite apart from age I had a beard and contact lenses then), but nobody ever queries it!

 

[Smart320]

Thank goodness I managed to avoid commuting by public transport for the whole of my career in Sales / Marketing even when working at the head office in S.W London. Found commuting in Bangkok in the middle 90's rather stressful though as I drove myself ! ( mad !! ), this was before the current Mass Transit System was built.
Like others I decided ( at the age of 53 ) to take early retirement back in the UK and have never regretted it, retrained as a Commercial Yachtmaster and so no more commuting. Finally retired from working at 62 ! Best thing I ever did, quality of life definitely comes before wealth, am happy not to run a new car as long as i can afford something comfortable and reliable and can keep my wife ( no 3 ) in the manner she expects