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I am wondering about the health effect of accepting a job that is a 40 minute car ride + 2.5 hours train ride away from me.

Research suggests that train rides are healthier than car rides. I live 40 minutes drive away from a train station. Then the train takes 2.5 hours to get to NYC. The seats are large and comfortable and the train is nicer than your average commuter train.

If I need to drive 40 minutes on a highway (not congested) to get to a train station early in the morning, does that negate the benefits of commuting by train?

I am personally excited about the train and do not worry about the very long train ride. I could read books and enjoy myself on a pleasant train ride even though it is a very unusual commute. My worry is more about the 40 minute car ride early in the morning 5am to the train station.

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    Seven hours and 20 minutes per day of commuting, which means sitting. Sure, you can walk about on a train, but not much, really. I hope that job is a physically active one otherwise you're going to be sitting 14+ hours per day, which has demonstrated negative health consequences. I predict you're going to look forward to that train ride a lot less than you think after a few weeks. – Carey Gregory♦ Nov 13 '17 at 0:07
  • @CareyGregory yeah that is what I am afraid of. The job is a Data science job. There is a treadmill desk at the office but... – Semihcan Doken Nov 13 '17 at 0:12
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    This sounds miserable. I would try to talk with someone who has done this to see if it's something you really want to sign yourself up for. I'm not sure there's going to be clear data on this sort of thing. "Healthier" is not the right word, "less risk" is a better word. There is no health benefit of riding a train or driving. – DoctorWhom May 10 '19 at 5:38
  • thanks to everyone who tried to help. just to let you know what i ended up doing: I did take the job and commuted ~5 days a week for about 2-3 months before quitting the job for other reasons but to be honest, the commute was also on my mind. I tried to be productive on the train but honestly I was pretty tired and often uncomfortably trying to sleep. It was 186 miles each way. I did find other people who were doing a shorter version of the commute 4 days of the week but no one equal to or longer than my commute. I considered blogging about my experiences but I felt that I had no time. – Semihcan Doken Jun 29 '19 at 9:46

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