Peterborough commuters could be saving thousands on rail fares thanks to the latest advice on working from home say money experts

Last week, the UK Government announced that British office workers should work from home if they can.

With Prime Minister Boris Johnson estimating that these new Covid restrictions could be in place for the next six months, the personal financial experts at Bankrate UK were eager to find out how much money UK commuters could save by cutting out their daily commute by train for a short walk to their home office or makeshift workstation.

By analysing the cost of weekly and monthly season ticket fares from the UK’s main commuter towns to London, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Manchester and Bristol, the experts at Bankrate UK have calculated how much commuters have saved during the 20-week work-from-home period, based on relevant rail fares.

Using the Trainline’s Season Ticket Calculator and information on the UK’s commuter towns, Bankrate were able to find out how much Brits could save depending on whether they previously bought a weekly or monthly season ticket.

Over recent years - and even more so since lockdown, an interest in London’s commuter belt has grown, as city workers look to enjoy the hustle and bustle of city life during the week and the relaxation of the British countryside at the weekends.

Using a list of London’s most expensive, cheapest and best value for money commuter towns, Bankrate has estimated how much London’s commuters could save by not returning to the city for six months (26 weeks):

At the top end of the biggest savings spectrum is Peterborough. Commuters from the Cambridgeshire town could save over £4,500 (£4,508.40) in the next six months if they previously bought their £173.40 season ticket on a weekly basis. If they bought a monthly season ticket at £665.90 the savings would still add up to just short of £4,000 over six months (£3,995.40).

Next is Wellingborough, where a weekly season ticket to London costs £167.00 and a monthly ticket costs £641.30. Over the next six months, this equates to a saving of £4,342.00 or £3,847.80 depending on the method of payment.

Northampton comes third with a saving over six months of £4,342 with a weekly ticket. Huntingdon comes fourth with a saving of £3,624.60 based on weekly tickets. Savings for monthly tickets would still add up to over £3,000 in six months for these towns.

At the other end of the savings spectrum are commuters from Esher. Labelled as London’s most expensive commuter town, city-workers from the idyllic Surrey town could celebrate a saving of £1,484.60 over 26 weeks if they usually pay weekly, or £1,315.80 if they pay monthly.

Across the 29 locations analysed, on average, commuters who bought their tickets on a weekly basis could save £2,707.32 and those who bought monthly tickets have saved £2,399.42.