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Friday 18 November 2016 6:30 am

The number of London workers with daily commutes of two hours or more is up by nearly a fifth

By: Rebecca Smith

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You haven't imagined it: long commutes in the capital are increasing.

The number of employees having to suffer through daily commutes of two hours or more has gone up nearly a fifth (17.2 per cent) over the past five years, according to new analysis from the Trades Union Congress (TUC).

In 2015, 930,612 London workers had daily commutes of two hours or longer – 136,539 more people than in 2010. Across the UK, more than 3.7m people commute for two hours or more.

Read more: Southern Rail commuters had very British responses to today's train chaos

Looking at the whole of the UK, one in seven employees (14 per cent) travelled two hours or more each day to and from work, compared to one in nine in 2010 (11 per cent).

Workers in Northern Ireland will be feeling entitled to be more disgruntled than most though: they've experienced the biggest rise in long commuting (up a whopping 57 per cent).

Where has the highest number of employees making long commutes? London, of course, with 930,000 people facing the daily marathon into the office.

But, Tube goers might be surprised to know that commute times for London Underground users have dropped by five minutes.

It's those heading into work by motorcycle who have seen their average trip increase the most (still, by only three minutes though), followed by taxi drivers (London cabbies may well be cursing Uber once more).

Read more: All the the Tube journeys in London that are quicker to walk

TUC said the increase in travelling times can be partly attributed to stagnant wages combined with rising rents and high house prices, meaning many can't move closer to their jobs. It also pointed to a lack of investment in roads and railways contributing; the UK was bottom of an OECD table on transport and infrastructure spending.

TUC's regional secretary for London Megan Dobney said: "More home and flexible-working would allow people to cut their commutes and save money. But if we are to reduce the pain of traffic jams and train delays, ministers need to invest more in public transport and our roads."

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