Commuting can cause a lot of stress, with constant train strikes and often unreliable service. Especially if you’re heading to London.
It may be cheaper to live outside the capital, but if you have to travel far, you also run the risk of being late for work more often.
A recent ranking by On Time Trains has revealed the worst performing London commuter cities over the past year, with one particular station described as “disappointing with dismal performance”.
The analysis looked at 30 non-M25 commuter stations, taking into account a variety of factors including punctuality, speed, frequency and fares. All of these are within an hour of London.
Read this article to find out how your station ranks in the list and which cities have the least reliable trains.
The study found that train fares will be 6% higher compared to 2022, and the number of on-time commuter services will be 7% lower.
Although not ranked worst overall, the London commuter station with the worst performance and the most delays was Reading.
Only 29% of trains were on time, 64% were less than 5 minutes late, and only 29% actually arrived on time.
The study described the station as “disappointing” with its “dismal” performance score, as it fared significantly well in other categories.
It received 5 out of 5 stars for frequency, speed, and value, respectively.
But about 20% of the company’s commuter services were delayed for more than 10 minutes, compared to 11% last year, and 5% were canceled.
In the last three months of 2023, only 50% of 8:20am flights to London Paddington arrived within 10 minutes of the scheduled time.
Reading received the worst score for performance and timeliness, but when scores were summed across categories, Sevenoaks was the lowest station on the list, scoring lower for performance, speed and value. .
Less than a third of commuter services were on time in 2023, and service in the Southeast ran slower (37 mph vs. 42 mph on average) and cost less than most other stations on the list. It was more expensive (44p per mile vs. 39p/mile).
Meanwhile, Chelmsford tops the list of best commuter stations, followed by High Wycombe in second place and Shenfield in joint third place with Wickford.
Chelmsford’s commuter services were the strongest of all 30 stations, with 88% on time (up from 80% last year) and just 1% cancelled.
Basildon, Woking, Grays, Farnborough (Main), Guildford and Beaconsfield also finished in the top ten.
Other places to avoid as a London commuter include Welwyn Garden City, Chaltham, Ascot and Redhill.
In individual categories, Beaconsfield ranks worst in terms of frequency, Leatherhead ranks worst in terms of speed, and Gravesend ranks at the bottom of the list in terms of value. Ta.
The research comes on the heels of another study that claims to have revealed the UK’s best and worst cities to commute to, with the top spot for ‘worst’ being where people expected it to be. It wasn’t.
Given the overcrowded tube cars, endless queues and high costs, many Brits would bet on London to win this title by a mile.
But surprisingly, the UK capital comes in second place, with Edinburgh in first place.