Does anyone here commute by train to other cities such as Manchester, Nottingham, Birmingham or Leeds? I am looking for jobs and there is nothing really in my field in Sheffield but don't want to move away just yet. I was wondering if it seriosuly impacts on your life?

I used to commute 90 minutes into London which was absolute hell, but I'm figuring that that cities like Nottingham are about half hour commute? Anyone care to offer any opinions?

I have commuted to Nottingham for the last 22 months, started by car, a bit of a nightmare on the M1, then went by train, which was fine getting there, but poor getting back ( from Beeston ) and even worse when the changed the timetable, and reduced me from 4 possible trains to one, with a guaranteed stand from Derby on a Virgin Voyager ( 'cos MML were consistently late ! ).

Now I use the car, and if I time the journey right, it's not too bad. It does help though to know all the "M1 Avoidance" routes. There are about 6 ways I can get to work, missing part or all of the M1 if it's snarled up !

Used to commute to London from Newark and Doncaster, wouldn't dream of doing it from Sheffield / Chesterfield because it takes too long, and too unreliable. The cost of £7k per year means that you also have to get the right job in the first place !

I would think Manchester would be OK by train, as long as you are in the centre, or on a tram route, but by car in the winter could be a bit dodgy !

I've also done Derby for four months, much the same as Nottingham, except A61 & A38 all the way - not too bad if you get the timing right !

PS. Using the car from Beeston to home is actually quicker than the train, and a lot more comfortable, getting down in the morning is another matter. Here to Beeston usually takes about 1hr ( leaving at 7:30 ) unless its a monday morning, when it can take 1.5 - 2 hours, depending who's crashed into who !

Friday nights are also a nightmare, but I usually take the scenic route, approx 1hr 20 mins.

Manchester's OK if you live within a couple of miles of Dore station and drive. I did a year over there and it wasn't too bad except on the 2 or 3 occasions when the trains was missing.

Leeds is easisest to commute to from Sheffield. As the more established financial centre the salaries are also higher. The short distance involved and therefore the low travel costs mean that Sheffield folk can repatriate and divert money from the Leeds local economy to our own. Or so it seems.

The value of the labour these migrant workers export exceeds that of repatriated income. Live in Sheffield. Work in Sheffield.

If you must commute please move elsewhere outside our City boundary and travel to us. That way we're all happy.



:thumbsup:

I commuted to Leeds for two years by both rail and car, nice easy run by car barring the odd spats of M1 traffic.

Train was a nightmare, but only on the way back, as any trains after 8PM used to get cancelled so we were all made to travel by bus from Wakefield which used to take ages.

On a usual 9 to 5 day it was ok but anything around that became ridiculous.

Manchester is easy to get to as is Nottingham/Derby.

Sheffield-Manchester: Train every half hour, journey time 55 mins, can get overcrowded at peak times but otherwise not bad.
Can reserve seats on most trains.
www.arrivatrainsnorthern.co.uk www.tpexpress.co.uk www.centraltrains.co.uk www.firstnorthwestern.co.uk

Sheffield-Nottingham: Train every hour, journey time 50 mins, trains busy at peak time and some timekeeping issues on northbound trains (they come all the way from Norwich).
www.centraltrains.co.uk www.midlandmainline.com

Sheffield-Leeds: Much improved service, Fast Virgin trains every hour, take 40 mins, although overcrowded at peak times (possible to reserve seats though). If you miss Virgin train other trains are available but very slow as they stop at every tinpot little village along the way (at least 1hr15).
www.virgintrains.co.uk www.arrivatrainsnorthern.co.uk

Sheffield-Derby: Good service, 3 trains per hour (2xVirgin 1xMidland Mainline), Virgin now much more reliable, MML hit and miss northbound, journey time 30-45 mins. Not normally a problem getting a seat except when trains are late. Possible to reserve seats.
www.virgintrains.co.uk www.midlandmainline.com

Originally posted by theflyingfish
Does anyone here commute by train to other cities such as Manchester, Nottingham, Birmingham or Leeds? I am looking for jobs and there is nothing really in my field in Sheffield but don't want to move away just yet.

I was looking at Thursdays 'Star' and thought that the amount, quality and pay of the IT jobs were dire. It's not surprising that people move away.

Originally posted by theflyingfish
Does anyone here commute by train to other cities such as Manchester, Nottingham, Birmingham or Leeds? I am looking for jobs and there is nothing really in my field in Sheffield but don't want to move away just yet. I was wondering if it seriosuly impacts on your life?

I used to commute 90 minutes into London which was absolute hell, but I'm figuring that that cities like Nottingham are about half hour commute? Anyone care to offer any opinions?

Just wanted to raise issue on your original thread - my mate works for a big IT based company in Wetherby (Leeds) and since leaving uni 3 years ago - has commuted daily from Sheffield Centre to this work. It has taken its toll on his state of mind - he has to leave sheffield at 6.45am to beat the traffic - despite it waiting for him on the M1 northbound. Ppl leave earlier and earlier now, which just brings constant gridlock to the M1 from J31 to J36 daily. He couldnt go out drinking for the early morning starts. He finally had enough (+ area he lives in has gone downhill badly) so tomorrow he is moving from Sheffield up to Acworth in West Yorkshire. Gonna miss him and his girlfriend, but it's something that has needed to be done for a longtime and will act to bring back some sanity into their lives.

Whatever you do - think outside the box!!! Moving closer to your work will help you in the long run. Best of luck with what you decide!!

Originally posted by chalicefc3

Whatever you do - think outside the box!!! Moving closer to your work will help you in the long run. Best of luck with what you decide!!

Or why not choose where to live and then find a job around that location? Why should people have to choose their house location based around their work location? It should be the other way round. You should work to live, not live to work.

Apparently they've just started work up in Leeds for having the Supertram.

I know it probably won't happen but wouldn't it be good if their Supertram could link to ours?

It's like their trams in Manchester, a Manchester-Sheffield Tram link would be easily do-able, simply widen the Snake pass a bit and bring the Tram routes together that way.

Originally posted by Rich
Apparently they've just started work up in Leeds for having the Supertram.

I know it probably won't happen but wouldn't it be good if their Supertram could link to ours?

It's like their trams in Manchester, a Manchester-Sheffield Tram link would be easily do-able, simply widen the Snake pass a bit and bring the Tram routes together that way.

That simple, ay?!

Originally posted by t020
That simple, ay?!

In hindsight maybe it wouldn't be that simple actually :(

Good idea in theory though was it not?

Originally posted by Rich
In hindsight maybe it wouldn't be that simple actually :(

Good idea in theory though was it not?

Maybe, yeah! :D

One of the radio stations ran a news story saying that they were going to extend the supertram to link up with the manchester tram, via the woodhead railway route.

The date of this news report was April 1st...

Originally posted by Andy
One of the radio stations ran a news story saying that they were going to extend the supertram to link up with the manchester tram, via the woodhead railway route.

The date of this news report was April 1st...

But was it before or after noon?

Originally posted by t020
But was it before or after noon?

What diff does that make? If it was on April 1st it's almost a given that it was fake....

Originally posted by Rich
What diff does that make? If it was on April 1st it's almost a given that it was fake....

Its only a proper April fools day prank before noon.

Originally posted by robinhood
I have commuted to Nottingham for the last 22 months, started by car, a bit of a nightmare on the M1, then went by train, which was fine getting there, but poor getting back ( from Beeston ) and even worse when the changed the timetable, and reduced me from 4 possible trains to one, with a guaranteed stand from Derby on a Virgin Voyager ( 'cos MML were consistently late ! ).

Now I use the car, and if I time the journey right, it's not too bad. It does help though to know all the "M1 Avoidance" routes. There are about 6 ways I can get to work, missing part or all of the M1 if it's snarled up !

Used to commute to London from Newark and Doncaster, wouldn't dream of doing it from Sheffield / Chesterfield because it takes too long, and too unreliable. The cost of £7k per year means that you also have to get the right job in the first place !

I would think Manchester would be OK by train, as long as you are in the centre, or on a tram route, but by car in the winter could be a bit dodgy !

I've also done Derby for four months, much the same as Nottingham, except A61 & A38 all the way - not too bad if you get the timing right !

PS. Using the car from Beeston to home is actually quicker than the train, and a lot more comfortable, getting down in the morning is another matter. Here to Beeston usually takes about 1hr ( leaving at 7:30 ) unless its a monday morning, when it can take 1.5 - 2 hours, depending who's crashed into who !

Friday nights are also a nightmare, but I usually take the scenic route, approx 1hr 20 mins.

Beeston? Not Boots?

Originally posted by Rich

It's like their trams in Manchester, a Manchester-Sheffield Tram link would be easily do-able, simply widen the Snake pass a bit and bring the Tram routes together that way.
I think this is a brilliant idea to improve the national Infrastructure.
We could even have special trams that carried freight only. Maybe they could run on the old train tracks.

The old railway viaduct and tunnel at Monsal Head .. what line was that on .. could it be reopened?

Originally posted by JEC1
Beeston? Not Boots?

Could be the QMC

I have worked at both:thumbsup:

Monsal Head is too far South only viable route would be to follow A57 Snake Pass.

And this is why they don't do it ..

http://www.vlec.freeserve.co.uk/snake/

Originally posted by mikey
Could be the QMC

I have worked at both:thumbsup:

I wouldn't have called the QMC Beeston though.... but what would I know... I don't live there! :)

So what did you do at Boots, Mikey?

Originally posted by t020
Or why not choose where to live and then find a job around that location? Why should people have to choose their house location based around their work location? It should be the other way round. You should work to live, not live to work.

WOW - what a great idea that would be! Never thought of that as an option. If you unwrap yourself from the security blanket of living in a prosperous sheffield area with your family, you will realise that life isnt all plain sailing. You have to pay rent, bills, food, and generally earn a living. Despite sheffield being on the up - you should know that sheffield still hangs back far behind the likes of the major financial and commercial centres of London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds. There are very few high-quality jobs kicking about in Sheffield at the moment, not mention the fact that you go to University to specialise in a particular career path. Do you propose that students go to study law at university, only to take on a job printing logos onto t-shirts for a career. It would be great if ppl didnt have to move to find work - but think laterally and jump off cloud 9 for a minute and then you will realise that you "might" need to go elsewhere to find work!!

Originally posted by t020
Or why not choose where to live and then find a job around that location? Why should people have to choose their house location based around their work location? It should be the other way round. You should work to live, not live to work.

Yeah I can see that idea working, if you have no job prospects or aims in life.

It's easy to commute to Leicester, it's only an hour on the train and there's one every hour.

Originally posted by jjrobbins
Yeah I can see that idea working, if you have no job prospects or aims in life.

Haha you tell him JJRobbins :-P

Originally posted by Escafeld1889
Leeds is easisest to commute to from Sheffield... The short distance involved and therefore the low travel costs mean that Sheffield folk can repatriate and divert money from the Leeds local economy to our own.

Fellow Sheffielders

Commuting to or from Leeds is hell on a good day - I should know, I did it for a year. On a bad day, including some or all of the following events:

· train strike - forcing more vehicles onto the road
· motorway pileup - they drive like nutters up there :o
· long traffic jams in the evening rush hour
· Tina Turner in concert at the Sheffield Arena (caused several-mile queues up the M1 a few years ago ;) )
· River Aire and Ouse flooding (again)
· National Express coach service - miss it and you're stranded for another hour :rolleyes:

it is enough to cause early death.

Originally posted by t020
Or why not choose where to live and then find a job around that location? Why should people have to choose their house location based around their work location?

If only it was that simple :rolleyes: . Until gold and silver fall from the skies in abundance, people will continue to live in a cheaper area while working in another that provides a better salary.

Wasn't it a Tory, Lord Tebbitt, who advised job-hunters to get on their bikes?

He will have you chucked out of the party T020 if he hears you

Actually, it's a manufacturing company just opposite the main boots entrance in Beeston.

On a saturday morning, it's 30 minutes, door to door.

Unfortunately, we get caught in the Boots traffic, and have to time our leaving work around the shift endings at boots !

Originally posted by robinhood
Actually, it's a manufacturing company just opposite the main boots entrance in Beeston.

On a saturday morning, it's 30 minutes, door to door.

Unfortunately, we get caught in the Boots traffic, and have to time our leaving work around the shift endings at boots !

Suspect I drive past you every morning! Know what you mean about the Boots traffic though. Get away before the warehouse start leaving between 3:45 and 4:14 or you're stuck!

I also commute to very near Boots in Nottingham - the M1 drag and the Notts ring road are fuggin' horrible, especially in winter where you can be almost certain of a crash at J28 most mornings. I've seen bodies lying in the fast lane at J28 and no end of rear-end shunt accidents. Not pleasant.

As soon as I can, I'll be moving jobs to something closer. 14 hours a week in the car is a big waste of my life.

Where do you go to near Boots, Mike? If you can I'd use the A6002 from Jn 26 rather than the A610.

I go down to Riverside Retail Park - cheers, I'll give that road a look.

Actually, it's not all bad, I've started learning French in the car to save the radio driving me mental.

Used the A609/A6002 route back home last night and it saved me about 10 mins :)

Though, on the way in this morning I took a wrong turn and ended up driving round the Uni campus and getting in 10 mins late, but that's my stupid fault.

Anyway, should save me about an hour a week so thanks for that info.

S'okay. :)

Used to use the train to and from Manchester, (Stockport to be exact) and it was a nightmare. Gave up and started driving instead. Even through the winter over the Peaks it was far better..

Trains to and from Leeds used to be few and far between, and slow. Takes me about half the time to get to the office there by car than by train as I can time it to avoid the worst of the traffic. Get it wrong and its a nightmare though..