New property spots for London commuters - Telegraph

New property spots for London commuters - Telegraph

Moaning about trains is a national pastime, but we must also grudgingly admit there are areas where things are improving. Long-planned projects for faster trains, new platforms and more frequent services are finally bearing fruit, creating hope for the future. New pockets are emerging in the property market which commuters previously might have overlooked.

TO OXFORDSHIRE

There has been a long, complicated upgrade of the Chiltern Line from London Marylebone out through High Wycombe, Haddenham & Thame Parkway, Banbury and Leamington to Birmingham. It effectively cuts every journey time by about 20 per cent. The difference is startling. Once it took 85 minutes to London from Leamington; at peak times now it’s 67. High Wycombe once took 34 minutes; now it’s 25.

Thame, already a darling with commuters, has now become super convenient, shaving the old 44-minute journey down to 35 minutes (peak). “We always have at least one person with a budget of about £1 million looking to buy in the area,” says Jonathan Bramwell of search agents The Buying Solution. “It is also popular with people moving down from Cheshire because it is close to the M40 and they can nip back and see their families.”