Londonist

What's Your Commute? Romford To Tring

We like hearing all about other people's commutes — we're nosy like that — whether it's a lengthy train journey in from the Home Counties, a tube ride across London, or a 20 minute walk, door to door. Today, we make the epic (and unenviable) journey from Romford to Tring, with 33 year old contemporary dance teacher Morgan, who's originally from Hawai'i (how he ended up in Romford is a 'long story' apparently).

Empty carriage en-route to Tring - woo hoo!

What route do you take and which methods of transport do you use?

I travel to Tring from Romford three times a week. My partner drives me to Romford station, I take TfL Rail from Romford to Liverpool Street, then the Circle or Metropolitan line to Euston Square, walk to Euston, take London Northwestern to Tring station, then round off the journey with either a bus to the high street (if everything has worked as it should) or a taxi (if it hasn't) or a 40 minute walk (if I'm broke). On the way home I usually get a colleague to drop me at the station, and a faster Greater Anglia train from Liverpool Street to Romford.

The ride into Liverpool Street. This is relatively spacious.

How long does it take?

If all the trains leave and arrive on time, I get on the exact services I need to, and I get on and off from the correct doors, I can be at work in two hours. I give myself plenty of wiggle room, because when things go wrong they go REALLY wrong, and plan for it to take two and a half hours.

The secret triangle on the Circle line platform.

Pro tip: look for the little triangle painted on the Circle line platform at Liverpool Street. A set of doors opens directly in front of it, and if you leave the tube out of those same doors, it's a straight shot out the exit at Euston Square.

How long have you been doing this commute for?

Berkhamsted Castle, a fairly scenic point on the trip in.

I started this job about four years ago. Last year I had a mini meltdown and almost bought a car, which would shave about an hour off the journey, but then remembered I'm usually so knackered that I nap on the way home, and you can't really do that when you drive. At least not more than once.

Do you usually get a seat?

The mad exit on Platform 17 at Liverpool Street. It can take up to five minutes to get through the barrier.

It's a crapshoot on the way into London. Now that the new (and beautiful!) Crossrail trains are starting to take over the service, it's more likely, but only on the trains that start at Gidea Park, not Shenfield. It's a bummer I can never remember which ones are which. If one of the old trains pull in, all bets are off, all hope is lost: they're almost always full by Romford.

It's a similar situation for the tube. Metropolitan line trains are the best — because they only start one stop before mine (at Aldgate), they're almost always empty. My heart sinks when I see a Hammersmith train come in: they're always crammed full of sweaty people, usually with giant suitcases. It never fails that when I stand on the train into London, the first tube that arrives is always a Hammersmith service.

My last train to Tring is a dream — I'm going against rush hour by then and usually get a whole carriage to myself.

How much does it cost?

"This road bridge is one of my favourite sites on the way to Tring, it just looks so elegant, really complements the landscape."

Anywhere from £15.90 to £33.40 a day. If I can wangle a late start at work, I use my Network Railcard to get a cheap Off Peak Day Return ticket. Most days I get an Anytime ticket which costs £27.40, plus £1.90 for the bus from Tring station (or £6 for a taxi if I miss it).

I once tried to get a season ticket, but the website told me that my journey was not possible. I figured it was easier not to argue with it.

Main bugbears?

There are two. The biggest is the reaction some people have when they see a chock-a-block train pull into their station. The doors open and they scream "CAN YOU MOVE DOWN PLEASE"... as if we haven't already done that at the last five stops, and I'm not already dangerously close to giving someone a lap dance. If anyone tries to tell the platform people that we can't, all hell breaks loose and the mother of all arguments begins. They insist there's a millimetre of space down at the ends, and if we all just listened to them and shoved up they could get on. Name calling and insults ensue, and sometimes shoving and fistfights. It's too early in the morning for that much aggro, most of us are still on our first cup of coffee. Also, TfL does pretty well in the mornings — just wait four minutes and another train will be there, and it will probably be more empty.

The distance from the exit of Tring station (where the photo was taken from) to the train. That train on the platform is not moving, that's where they stop.

The second is London Northwestern's loose definition of "on time arrivals". I get the 9.05 to Tring, which arrives at 9.49. The bus from the station leaves at 9.57. It is never late and waits for no-one. The Tring train almost always is, usually arriving between 9.54 and 9.56. It's not a massive difference, but platforms at Tring are huge and the trains stop about two miles from the way out, so I usually have to sprint to the bus stop and watch it drive away in a cloud of diesel fumes. Before you ask, the earlier Tring train leaves at 8.34 and the next bus leaves at 11.57. The effort it would take to adjust my routine is not worth the few quid it would save.

I am literally the only person affected by this, and have resigned myself to always carrying enough cash for a taxi.

Any regular characters or commuting friends?

Morgan in transit

The bus driver in Tring is lovely, gruff but very chatty and helpful to the bluehairs that make up most of her customers. She sometimes tries to have a conversation over the roar of the engine while she's pelting down the bumpy country roads, which is exhilarating to say the least.

By far my favourite person is this one conductor on the train home from Tring. He makes an effort to say hello to everyone that boards the train and makes small talk if he's not too busy and it's not too crowded. His announcements are always cheery and funny, and he genuinely seems to love his job. I haven't seen him lately, I wonder if maybe he's retired...

Want to contribute details of your journey to our What's Your Commute? series? Get in touch with laura@londonist.com.

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