My £1,000-a-month commute is so hellish I'm forced to move to London

Telegraph

15-07-2025

My mother often says that 'hell is not a place, it's other people'. But I have in fact come to discover that it is a place. That place, or rather journey, is the West Midlands Railway service to Milton Keynes Central.
Every week, I spend hours on their trains. I'm often hit by delays or cancellations, and am nearly always late home, questioning my sanity as I sprint alongside hundreds of others to fight for a space.
It should take an hour to get to work – taxi to the station, train to Euston, then four stops on the Victoria line.
But one day last week, I spent a record seven hours of my life commuting. That's a full work day, and I had to pay for the privilege of being there.
Now, after three years of spending nearly £1,000 a month on a journey that truly brings out the worst in humanity, I'm moving to London and saying goodbye to my savings.
My monthly travel outgoings consist of taxis to and from the station, costing between £10 and £15. My peak-time return train journey costs £18.60, even with a 16-25 railcard. Then add another £5.80 a day for a sweltering ride on the Victoria line.
In all, I spend an average of £247 a week, or £988 a month. It's no longer financially beneficial for me to continue living at home.
A monthly ticket from Hemel Hempstead to Euston is £470.80 (railcard discounts don't apply), meaning it's actually more expensive than what I'm paying now.
Even my 17-year-old brother spends £100 on train fares just to get to college... one stop away.
In March, fares rose 4.6pc. At the same time, thousands of trains journeys go nowhere every year. On average, 3.4pc of UK trains are cancelled – rising to 4.3pc on West Midlands routes, lucky me!
On top of cancellations, there are delays. Only 64pc of West Midlands trains run on time, and last year more than 200,000 trains were cancelled.
Delays cause overcrowding. I'm often left without a seat, or forced to wait for the next train. Then, of course, there are the strikes which leave me stranded.
This has left me facing the London dilemma.
Do I pay more to rent in London and save my sanity? I stayed home while studying for a master's degree, planning to move out after, but couldn't afford to on the £22,000 salary I earned at my first job. I'm in a different position now, but moving will still significantly dent my bank balance.
Unsurprisingly, I am not alone. More than half of all 20- to 24-year-olds still live at home.
Moving to London is, financially, barely palatable. According to Spareroom, the listings site, the average price for rent in London is £980 per month. This excludes ever-rising council tax, groceries – and of course, the cost of a pint.
But I think I might go mad if I spend too much time waiting for my train to never arrive. I just have to decide which financial stress suits me more.
My number one priority when I move into the city is to cut down my commute. Thankfully, my housemates-to-be are keen to live fairly centrally. But £1,000 a month really does not go very far. I'll likely end up in an ex-council flat, with no outdoor space, dishwasher or nearby Tube station.
I have friends who were forced to move out of their flat when water started pouring through their light fixtures and it was deemed potentially life-threatening to continue living there. Their landlord painted over the damage. Now, they're taking legal action to get their deposit back.
While this may all sound like a first-world problem, I think it speaks to a wider issue of Britain's failing essential services. If I'm feeling forced to move into London, I can assume I'm not the only one. This is only going to contribute to the housing crisis in the capital and push rent prices up as rooms become even more competitive.
Without living at home, I couldn't have afforded my master's degree or accepted a £22,000 salary to start my career. But most young people don't have that option. Now, I can barely afford to live rent-free because I'm being fleeced daily.
Ultimately, I have been left with no choice. I'll be moving into London in two months. I'm not sure how I'll save for a house or have a life, but at least I won't be running for the train.