Train takes the strain on commute into the city centre

THE commute to Cardiff is something a lot of us from South Wales stress over almost on a daily basis.

Whether it is delays on the train, a collision on the M4 or a bus that didn’t bother to show up, there is always a fear that something won’t quite go to plan and you will end up late for work.

I have been commuting to Cardiff from the Rhondda Valley for the past three years and I have always wondered what is the best way to get to the city.

I live in Porth, which is roughly 16 miles from the city centre and around a 30-minute drive outside rush hour.

Last week, I took it upon myself to find what is the best way to get to Cardiff. I took the train, I drove and I got the bus, timing my journey from start to finish, to find out what was the best option.

■ Train

Start time: 6.40am

End time: 7.53am

Overall journey time: One hour and 13 minutes

The train from Porth to Cardiff Central Station, according to the Transport for Wales app, takes just 41 minutes, so I planned to get the 7.10am train, which would get me to Cardiff in time for my 8am start.

However, like a lot of people in the Valleys, unless you live near the train line, you face a pretty lengthy walk – for me, that is 25 minutes.

I left my house at 6.40am and got to the train station just after 7am ready for the 7.10am train, which turned up two minutes late – which is a very minor delay and not something to complain about.

As it was an early morning train, the station was busy but not enough to overcrowd the train, which had already stopped at eight stations before getting to Porth.

However, by the time the train got to Taffs Well, there were people standing, so if you live in Cardiff and rely on a Valleys train to get to the city centre, your short commute will probably be very uncomfortable.

Considering the Valleys trains have a pretty bad reputation for being late and often overcrowded, my experience of this route was not all that bad and there are no complaints.

The overall journey time is a little longer than I would like but if I were to drive to the station, which has a pretty big park-and-ride car park, then that journey time would drop to roughly 47 minutes.

On the way home, I got the 5.35pm train from Cardiff Central, which turned up three minutes late, another delay that can’t really be complained about.

After getting a lift home from the station, I arrived at my house at 6.30pm, making my overall journey time just short of one hour.

■ Car

Start time: 6.40am

End time: 7.43am

Overall journey time: One hour and three minutes

There isn’t much I dislike more than being stuck on a road unable to move in gridlocked traffic and it is one of the reasons I have always avoided driving to the city.

I was surprised by how little traffic there was on the way into Cardiff and I turned off at Leckwith at around 7.25am, only racking up an extra 15 minutes on to my journey time at that