Flat next to railway line

onetwothreefourfive

How put off a flat would you be if it was situated alongside a (busy) railway line? I am looking for some flats and seems you can get more space for your money there, but the flats have been on the market for a while so I wonder if people are put off buying them so they are hard to sell?

Lokolo

I live above a railway line. I commute into London so it is convenient living nearby.... I don't have to pay £90 a month for parking... I can leave 4 minutes before my train arrives. I am also next to town centre.

However, you do hear the trains. Considering I am a light sleeper you soon get used to it and hardly ever hear them unless you are trying. I have had a number of comments from visitors saying "OMG is that how loud it is!?" and my reponse is always "What are you on about?".

[Deleted User]

I used to live in a rented house near a main line. I loved listening to the freight trains that lumbered slowly past at night. It was soothing. During the day they went by so quickly that it became unnoticeable

CathA

When we were little we lived next to a main line rail line. There was next doors garden, then a big hill and the main line was at the top of the hill. When the trains had to stop for the lights on this piece of track, the vibrations used to make our windows rattle.(This was in the days of single glazed windows!) We were selling our house and mum told us not to say anything about the noise or the windows vibrating. I can remember looking at her and saying 'What noise?' There were a lot of noisy steam trains then (I sound so old!) and I can honestly say it never bothered me. Believe me you'll get used to it. Good luck.

pathtofreedom

I used to live next to a dlr line, the good thing was that didn't run 24 hours, so I could still sleep with the windows open at night, but got a very early wake up call.

So if you stand in the flat can you still hear them with the windows shut, how much louder is it when they are open. Everything sounds different at night, and you'll possibly have different trains going by as others have said.

If you're used to living somewhere quiet - not even a main road near by - it might take some getting used to.

Worst case if the flat is soundproofed ok, you will just need lots of fans / higher eletric in the summer to cool the flat down, if you can't sleep with the noise with the windows open.

NobodysChild

Another one in support of it. I used to live 100 yards away from a railway line, and the line was about 20 feet below the house. You could hear the freight trains rumbling past maybe 3-4 times a day, but the general trains that were 7-8 times an hour didn't bother me; in fact, I liked the sound.

If it was this close, I may be put off!



In fact, if the line was in a position where a train could smash my home in, if it derailed, that would be off putting, but if not, then I would have no issue. And if it's near an actual station, that can be advantageous.

onetwothreefourfive

Thanks. I will maybe go and stand on the street for 10 minutes and see how noisy it is. I think there is some grass and a bit of garden between the flats and the railway, but it is really quite close.

Also unfortunately it is just near the train line, not really a station (would be 10 mins walks away).

NobodysChild

onetwothreefourfive wrote: »

Thanks. I will maybe go and stand on the street for 10 minutes and see how noisy it is. I think there is some grass and a bit of garden between the flats and the railway, but it is really quite close.

Also unfortunately it is just near the train line, not really a station (would be 10 mins walks away).

That's plenty close enough. My nearest station is over 15 miles!

sillyvixen

i have a railway main line at the bottom of my garden - you get used to it surprisingly quickly. the last time it caused disturbed sleep was when i had a friend and her children stay - each time a train went by through the night there was a knock at the bedroom door, "auntie sillyvixen, i have just seen another train"

Anatidaephobia

I agree with everyone who says you will get used to it. It's surprising that it doesn't even take that long; after awhile you just don't pay attention to it anymore. But others will notice and comment on it when they visit. More importantly, it will put some people off when it comes to selling again.

stator

Spend a night at Premier Inn. They always build those things next to major roads, see if you can sleep with constant noise. I'm sure you could find a hotel next to a major railway line too.
If you can't, don't buy a flat next to a railway line.
Personally I wouldn't, I need complete silence