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Comment by castratikron | Hacker News Reader

A train ride is easier on you than a drive in traffic. He probably naps on the ride home.

In the same way that commute preferences are different for my colleague and me, they are different for everyone. My commute is also by train (metro) and I find the additional time that I have tacked on to be surprisingly draining.

My previous, shorter, commute required a line change so I was only on each train for about 5-10 minutes. My new commute is all on one line for at least 30 minutes (and more often 45+). So I have more than tripled my time on the train, and I think it is precisely this that makes me get to the end of the commute feeling so much more tired.

But that wasn't really the comparison. The comparison is train versus driving a car, and I'd agree with GP – car commutes are a million times worse. I'm sure not everyone agrees with this, but your comment doesn't even address it.

There are trains and there are trains. When I commuted from Baltimore to D.C., the 15 minutes I spent on the Red and Orange to get from Union Station to my office was much more draining than the 45 minutes on the Amtrak from Baltimore to D.C.

It is: I have a similar 15-20 minute drive to the bus and then a 30 minute express bus ride into the city. It's much faster and less stress than driving, but the total amount of time I spend travelling still gets to me.

Personally, quiet train with comfortable seat > driving > nearly everything else > standing on a loud, packed train.

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