Could you live with a high speed rail line at the end of your garden.?

puddy

We have been looking at a house to buy which has a railway line at the bottom of the garden. The garden is very long, about 80 - 100 foot and currently has 4 trains an hour going past. The station is not that far away but we havent been there when a train has gone past so do not know what it will sound like.
I have been searching on the internet and have seen that at the end of this yeear, a high speed rail link is to use that line (as well as the current trains) meaning that there will be 6 high speed trains an hour, plus the original 4 which are not high speed.

What would be the likely impact of this on trying to sell the property later? Do you think that the noise would be very much with that length of garden? Do you think that it would be dangerous for my cats, who I may let out (at present they are house cats)

Thanks

poppysarah

Most people say they get used to the noise quickly. Some people think it's awful and never get used to it.

RLH33

Put it this way - it would put me off! For many reasons, noise of the actual trains is one but what do they do at night? If there are freight trains at night these can be even noisier plus it is quiet all around so seem even louder (in the daytime the trains are heard against the general noise in the background).
Plus when there is maintenance this can also be very noisy and is usually done at night on busy lines.

Re the cats - it depends on what the fencing between the gardens and the railway line is - if it is just railings that the cats can get through then I would be seriously worried, if they can't get through it then I would be less worried.

If I were you I would ask them if you can spend an afternoon in the garden getting a feel for what level of noise the railway causes and then you can get an idea of how bad it really is. Can you go to a railway line that is already high speed? If you can then you could also get an idea of how noisy that would be too.

Gingernutmeg

I used to live in a flat that was next to a main line in to Waterloo. I can honestly say that it was one of the quietest places I ever lived in whilst I was in London. We got used to the noise quite quickly and tbh, by the time you've noticed it, it's usually gone. What you do need to look out for is how far you are away from the station - we weren't that far away and the only real problems we had was when the trains would sound their horns as they were coming in, for some reason they changed the number of times they sounded and that could be a bit annoying. Also, sometimes they do overnight maintenance on the tracks and that can be loud. But all in all it wasn't bad, I'd rather live next to a main railway line than a main road or a motorway.

blue_monkey_2

MY husband's family home has trains going across the bottom of the garden - high and slow speed - and the garden is around 50ft from the house so they are quite close. It is weird as when a train comes along everyone stops talking - out of habit. With the windows you can get these days that would block out a lot and I hardly notice it when I am there to be honest.

I have lived in the flightpath of Stansted for years and years and having moved I found it very strange to not hear the planes coming and going. Thankfully they changed the flightpath into Luton not long after we moved and I can hear the planes again and they actually pass right over our house. It doesn't bother me in the slightest and I do not really hear them at all now and only notice when I see the lights flashing as they go over the garden.

Other people cannot bear any sort of noise though and are the one protesting against the noise.

I guess it deends on what camp you are in. If you are the kind of person to get irritated by noises, however small. then you will never get used to it and it'll grate on you more and more as time goes on, but if you do not mind the noises you'll come to live with it and will probably not notice it at all within a few months time. Maybe ask if you can go around for half an hour and see what the noise is like.

The cats will get used to it in the same way they do roads, my cats always used to go in the front garden but here they do not as we live on a junction and there are more cars. Most cats are quite savvy and I am sure the sound of the passing electricity in the lines will stop them going anywhere near it.

tessie_bear

it would put me off but people say u get used to it.um im not so sure

blue_monkey_2

RLH33 wrote: »

Re the cats - it depends on what the fencing between the gardens and the railway line is - if it is just railings that the cats can get through then I would be seriously worried, if they can't get through it then I would be less worried.

Cats can get over very high fences, mine can get over the 7ft ones next door and even if you put wire on them they will go via another fence if they really want to see what is over there. But I think the sound of the power lines will scare them and they will not go near. I'd let them see the trains out of an upstairs window, they are quite intelligent creatures if all be told and they will know the trains are there.

blue_monkey_2

It could be worse, next to a main road where there is trafiic noise all day, places where kids use wasteland for motorbiking, even those little mopeds! At least you'll know when the trains are coming.

ukcarper

I live next to a rail line not a main line and can honestly say that apart from the odd time they work on it at night I don’t notice and much prefer not being overlook by houses at the bottom of the garden. But we do get one or two high speed trains through and they are much louder than the normal ones.

Zelie

Well I'm a traindriver so it wouldn't bother me much.

Re: the cats. I've seen plenty of dead foxes on the line but never a dead cat. I do frequently see cats going for a saunter beside the rails though. Most animal deaths are due to electrocution rather than being hit by a train - even the stupidest animal will run away from an oncoming train.So take a look at the track and see whether there are more than two rails per direction (which would indicate electrified rails). Foxes seem to have a fascination for power rails that cats don't though so potentially there would be no problem.. That said, I don't know how house cats would be as they've presumably had no chance to develop basic survival skills out of doors (you'll also want to consider how they will cope with road traffic and dogs).

hamblettamaud

i don't think it would put me off it, but possibly after a while i'd get sick of it. i suppose you'll never know until you try it.