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I'd like to hear from people who commute by train, with a door to door trip time of around 1.5 hrs give or take (each way). How do you feel about your commute? How much of a drain is it on you?
Assuming you can get a seat, I would think that being able to sleep/read etc. should make things fairly tolerable. I've never commuted by train before though, so I'd like to get some input from anyone with experience.
mine is a little draining, took some getting use to. i was previously just a 15min drive to work, now it takes my 1.5hrs each way. train is comfortable, always get a seat, usually just get reading done, which I've done a lot of. I think in the past 8 months I've read/completed more books than in the past 2 yrs I take NJTransit then switch to the PATH to WTC. Path is jammed, hardly ever get a seat, usually squeezed in, but like I said i'm use to it now. I think after a few weeks you get more comfortable, understand where to stand, like on the PATH, and dont' feel as tired as you use to in the beginning, though I do hope i'm not commuting like this for the next 35yrs!
Thanks. The commute i'm considering wouldn't involve the path. it would be about 15 minutes to station, 60 minutes on the train (including transfer in Secaucus) & less then a 10 minute walk.
i know there of plenty of people out there with this kind of commute, it would just be a big change for me though, since my commute is currently about 25 minutes driving each way.
I have a similar commute, but by bus. On days the busses and trains are cooperating it's not THAT bad. Not fun and not quick mind you, but tolerable if you either sleep, read or listen to music.
The problem is when it rains or snows or there are signal problems on the train (or an accident on the Turnpike or at the Lincoln for the bus)....on those days you'll think you've gone to hell.
I'd like to hear from people who commute by train, with a door to door trip time of around 1.5 hrs give or take (each way). How do you feel about your commute? How much of a drain is it on you?
Assuming you can get a seat, I would think that being able to sleep/read etc. should make things fairly tolerable. I've never commuted by train before though, so I'd like to get some input from anyone with experience.
Thanks in advance.
I've been doing it for 30 years. The lost time is the downside, but I like to read and that's my reading time. Occasionally, I fall asleep. There is no stress because you aren't driving, and you see a lot of things that you wouldn't see driving. One of the best parts of commuting is seeing the wildlife out in the meadowlands, although the meadowlands have shrunk substantially over the years due to the NJ compulsion to build something on any available piece of land.
The upside is that the trains get through when no one else is due to weather, etc. In all those years there were only a handful of occasions that the trains didn't run due to flooding, etc., at Hoboken. Terrorist attacks and the blackout were the other times. Rarely have I not been able to get a seat on a NJ Transit train, and that was usually because another train broke down and we had to scoop up their passengers, or everyone left early during a snowstorm when it was not rush hour and there weren't enough scheduled trains.
The NY direct lines have more trouble because of that bridge that breaks down a lot.
mine is a little draining, took some getting use to. i was previously just a 15min drive to work, now it takes my 1.5hrs each way. train is comfortable, always get a seat, usually just get reading done, which I've done a lot of. I think in the past 8 months I've read/completed more books than in the past 2 yrs I take NJTransit then switch to the PATH to WTC. Path is jammed, hardly ever get a seat, usually squeezed in, but like I said i'm use to it now. I think after a few weeks you get more comfortable, understand where to stand, like on the PATH, and dont' feel as tired as you use to in the beginning, though I do hope i'm not commuting like this for the next 35yrs!
Good point, you won't always get a seat on PATH, but it's a short ride.
I either read on my kindle or watch tv shows/movies on my iphone and that makes me enjoy the commute. Of course I would rather not commute at all but being able relax and catch up on some books or shows makes the time go by so fast. I actually look forward to the time on the train. Also, i should add that I almost always get a seat. If I had to stand for that ride I think I would get pretty tired of the commute.
also, my door to door time is just over an hour. 10-15 min drive to metropark, 5 min walk to work, and 40 min train ride to penn station.
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I take NJTransit then switch to the PATH to WTC. Path is jammed, hardly ever get a seat, usually squeezed in, but like I said i'm use to it now. I think after a few weeks you get more comfortable, understand where to stand, like on the PATH, and dont' feel as tired as you use to in the beginning, though I do hope i'm not commuting like this for the next 35yrs! 
