London employer looking at move to hybrid

I live in Cardiff and my job is currently fully remote; my company is based in London. As with so many other companies, mine is “weighing” a hybrid RtO mandate. I’m not naive; I fully expect some half-baked instruction to be in-person in London 2 or 3 times a week by an arbitrary deadline.

I’ve been looking to buy a home for the past three months, which may have been futile now. While a 2 hour train ride multiple times a week may be horrid, I REALLY do adore Cardiff and have no desire to leave.

Before I bin the idea of purchasing a home then begin seeking properties to let in commuter towns, is there anyone who has experience commuting into London by train? Especially without having to spend around 300 quid a week.

Any insight is greatly appreciated.

UPDATE 2024-01-06: ok, a lot of feedback was provided and I greatly appreciate it all.

For those saying to dig into my contract, it states that my terms are for hybrid. Luckily they weren’t bothering with enforcing that clause.

Regarding the suggestion to leave the job, I’m an American here on a skilled worker visa working toward ILR and citizenship. I could potentially find a company to take my sponsorship over but with how long it took me to get this position I am not certain I could do that quickly enough if they give me a short deadline to show up in the office or else.

Also, with how many companies are moving away from WFH as the default, I’d just be trading one RTO for another. And as they say in Letterkenny: “The old boss is always a dick until you meet the new one.”

As to the recommendations to stay a couple nights, I can investigate that option depending on if they institute a travel stipend. Maybe couple it with a rail card and see if my company has any agreements with hotel chains I could take advantage of.

In the meantime, though, I’ve put my search for a home in Cardiff on pause and will start investigating the commuter belt. I’m not a fan of leaving Wales but I’d rather keep uninterrupted paychecks and my visa sponsorship intact.

Thankfully the edict hasn’t come down just yet so I at least have some time.

I will provide more updates as I get more answers and make choices.

Thank you very much!