living in reading and working in london

[sun]

Dear all,

I would like to ask for some advice.
I am considering to live in Reading and working in London, or the other way around.
However, all I could find online is information about train monthly ticket which is more than 300 pounds. I wonder if there is a cheaper way, even if I would take longer to get to my destination.

Thank very much,
Best regards

[Bevdeforges]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

I used to live in Reading, though I worked in High Wycombe, which was a considerably shorter commute. Lots of people did commute into London at the time - but there was a general feeling of disappointment, as Reading and the area around there had been developed as a commuter's suburb in the era of government subsidized train fares. When the rails went private and the fares went up, property values suffered.

The rush hour drive into London is a nightmare. It might be less so on a "reverse commute" (i.e. live in London, work in Reading) - but if you could arrange to work in Reading, why would you bother living in London? Train fares to London are reduced at off peak hours, and the occasional run into the city for shopping or entertainment certainly won't break the bank.
Cheers,
Bev

[sun]

Hi,

thank you very much for your kind reply.

My situation is that my boyfriend is working in London and I am working in Reading. We would like to share a house, but we both have to travel at busy times.

Maybe travelling by coach is better than train?

Thanks

Silvana

[Bevdeforges]

Originally Posted by sun

Maybe travelling by coach is better than train?

It has been a while since I was living in Reading, but as I recall, the only coach that ran regularly from Reading into London was the one that goes to Heathrow. I doubt it's a terribly efficient way to commute, as it's designed for people going to the airport - with their luggage and all. You'd still have to get a monthly pass for the Tube from Heathrow into London.

Why not find a town half way between London and Reading? The train fare would be cheaper and you might be able to drive to work.
Cheers,
Bev

[Loki117]

Hey Sun,

I do the commute from Reading to London every day it isnt fun there is never any seats as the stop is the last one before London and has probably come from the midlands. The exact fair is £332 and thats with a 10% discount for a monthly renewal the actual cost is £364 monthly and you get nothing for it! There may be a way in which you could drop the cost by getting a simple London to Reading ticket without the tube on it (I dont know if that is possible but check it out) then when you get to London have a bike there and cycle .... other than that there is very few cheaper options.

There are no coach that I know of that will allow you to do this and staying closer to London in between the two will mean your commoute is longer (Reading to London is a fast 25 minutes) and the ticket will only be slightly cheaper.

Lastly if you are thinking about staying in Reading check out Davis Tate - Home and Haslams Estate Agents - The leading experts in buying, selling, renting, for property prices.

Drop me a PM if you need more info.