Employees spending 27 days a year on rail commute

RAIL commuters are spending over two hours getting to and from work every day as travel times increase for Britain’s workers, a new study reveals.

Workers now take an average of 27 days a year getting to and from work after travel times increased by five minutes a day compared to a decade ago, the TUC said.

Rail passengers face the longest journeys at an average of two hours 12 minutes a day, compared with 52 minutes for drivers and 39 minutes for those who travel by bus, the research found.

People who walk to work have the quickest journeys at 30 minutes, followed by cyclists (43 minutes). Workers in Wales have the shortest, while Londoners have the longest commute, the TUC added.

General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “We’re spending 27 days a year going to and from work. That’s wasted time, which could be spent with family and friends.

“Commutes should be getting shorter, but inflexible bosses and our cash-starved transport system mean we’re wasting more and more time getting to work.

“Home working and less rigid hours would take pressure off road and rail. Serious government investment could give us a transport network that’s up to the job.”

Phil Flaxton, chief executive of Work Wise, which promotes flexible working, said: “This should act as a wake-up call to employers to change their outdated attitudes to commuting.”

The TUC blamed longer commutes on low government spending on transport infrastructure, employers not offering flexible and home working and real wages falling while property prices “soar”, making it hard to move closer to work.