Revealed: The five most expensive rail routes into London
Overpriced tickets? Frequent delays? Nowhere to sit? For the millions of people who take the train into London every day, this probably sounds familiar.
And to add insult to injury, the five most-expensive rail commutes are for journeys into London – with some passengers paying more than £500 a month just to get into work.
Read more: Union writes to South Western to restart talks as commuters complain of ‘hell’
For people living in Milton Keynes, it is especially bad news, with a monthly rail pass costing £515.80.
Meanwhile, if you commute from Oxford, it will set you back £504.60 every month.
Nor was it much better for people coming in from Reading or Luton, who all pay more than £400 a month for their rail pass.
In fact, nine out of the top 10 most expensive rail commutes are for journeys into the capital, according to research by insurer Veygo.
| Commuter Town | Destination | Monthly rail pass |
| Milton Keynes | London | £515.80 |
| Oxford | London | £504.60 |
| Reading | London | £442.00 |
| Luton | London | £413.60 |
| Chelmsford | London | £392.90 |
| Hemel Hempstead | London | £367.90 |
| St Albans | London | £367.50 |
| Harlow | London | £358.30 |
| Guildford | London | £342.60 |
| March | Cambridge | £274.20 |
It comes weeks after passengers discovered rail fares are set to rise faster than inflation next year, measured at the consumer price index.
Meanwhile, staff at South Western Railway are still on strike for most of December, causing misery for hundreds of thousands of commuters heading into London Waterloo every day.
Read more: Christmas party poopers: South Western railway services to close early in December amid strikes
Drivers and guards will strike until the New Year, only stopping tomorrow for the General Election on 12 December and for Christmas Day and Boxing Day, when trains do not run anyway.
The Rail Delivery Group, which represents British rail operators, has said that 98p in every pound spent on fares is invested back into Britain’s rail network.