Keep in mind that you only have a 25 minute drive because so many other people are taking public transport, if it was ripped out you'd have a much longer commute so it is very practical for you, albeit indirectly.
> That 40 minutes a day is very valuable to me
Depending on how crowded the tram/train is that 40 minutes can usable time with a smartphone or laptop, it's not in a car.
To each their own. I'd always take train, even if I couldn't use the time for anything.
I have never been in any train or tram that has anywhere near enough room to use a laptop. In peak hours I try to even avoid using my phone - there's simply not enough room to have a raised hand near your face without the hand also being in someone else's face.
The long-distance trains (like the Quiet Carraiges to Geelong) have more room, and in Perth I could use a laptop for the first ~30min of my journey before the train filled up.
Outside of peak hours is an entirely different story.