If you are weighing up a move and your search is simply how to commute from Surrey to London, the answer starts with which terminus you want. Woking and Guildford feed Waterloo. Redhill sends most of its trains to London Bridge, with some to Victoria. Here is what the published figures show for each.
Waterloo from Woking
Woking is the quickest of the three. Trainline lists the fastest Woking to Waterloo journey at 24 minutes, with an average of about 55 minutes once slower trains are included, over roughly 23 miles. It counts 374 trains a day on the route. Rome2rio describes South Western Railway services as running about every 10 minutes.
Bloor Homes puts Woking at around 28 minutes to Waterloo, so a realistic expectation for a good fast train sits in the mid to high 20s. A sample timetable from SWR JourneyCheck shows a Woking departure at 15:12 reaching Waterloo at 15:43, which is 31 minutes.
In a ranking by On Time Trains for 2022 to 23, Woking was named the best station for London commuters, according to getsurrey. That ranking is a few years old, but it is a useful sign of how well the station is served. The same list placed Dorking 16th and Leatherhead 17th, each up five places, though both were marked down for frequency and speed.
Waterloo from Guildford
Guildford is a little further out, at about 27 miles. Trainline gives a fastest time of 32 minutes and an average of 57 minutes, with 206 trains a day. Omio shows 53 minutes for a typical journey. Bloor Homes says Guildford is around 30 minutes to Clapham Junction or Waterloo.
A sample SWR service leaves Waterloo at 06:50, calls at Surbiton at 07:14 and Woking at 07:37, and reaches Guildford at 07:47. Treat that as an example of the stopping pattern rather than a fixed timetable. If you are choosing between the two towns, the practical difference is a handful of minutes on the fast trains, and more on the slower ones.
London Road station in Guildford is slower to Waterloo: Trainline gives 55 minutes at the fastest and about 1 hour 5 minutes on average.
London Bridge and Victoria from Redhill
Redhill sits on the Brighton Main Line. Trainline lists the fastest Redhill to London Bridge journey at 25 minutes and an average of 34 minutes over about 19 miles. Omio shows Thameslink services at 31 minutes, and Southern to Victoria at 39 minutes. Across all London destinations, Trainline gives an average of 40 minutes and 369 trains a day.
Omio notes that Redhill trains most often arrive at London Bridge, with some going on to Waterloo, so check the destination before you board. London Bridge suits the City and the South Bank. Victoria suits the West End and Westminster.
Season tickets
The Government has frozen regulated fares in England for 2026, the first time in 30 years that they have not risen in the annual change, according to ianvisits. Regulated fares cover season tickets, peak returns for commuters and some off-peak returns between major cities, and make up around half of fares in England. Because season tickets are in that group, the prices below should hold for now, but check the operator or National Rail before you buy.
Woking: Trainline lists a range of products. The cheapest is around £106.50 a week, £409 a month or £4,260 a year. A London Terminals ticket is listed at around £108.50 a week, £416.70 a month or £4,340 a year. Dearer variants run higher, so check which one covers your destination.
Redhill to London Bridge: Trainline lists the cheapest option at around £87 a week, £334.10 a month or £3,480 a year, valid to London Terminals by any permitted route.
Trainline suggests a season ticket can save money if you make the same journey more than three times a week. Weekly, monthly, annual and flexi options all exist, and the flexi ones are worth a look if you now work from home part of the week.
Which to choose
Speed to Waterloo: Woking, with fast trains in the mid 20s of minutes.
More space for the money, still on the Waterloo line: Guildford, with fast trains in the low 30s.
City or South Bank, and a lower season ticket: Redhill to London Bridge, at around £3,480 a year against around £4,260 from Woking.
Whichever you pick, travel in the peak on a trial week before committing. Published averages hide a lot, and the fast and slow trains behave very differently.
