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Peony2016

I grew up in a house next to a train line and it generally never bothered me at all. The only time it was a mild inconvenience was when they cleaned the tracks in the middle of the night approximately once every 6 months or so. I actually found the train noise quite soothing because I’d grown up with the noise and didn’t know anything different.
When a train went by and the windows were closed I could really only hear a faint drone/wiz of the engine but the noise was gone after a few seconds. Much less frequent noise than a busy road would be. Take a look at the train schedule for the line. You might find that the trains don’t run late at night.

bouicca21

I think I am about 200 feet from a commuter line into Central London. I am on the opposite side of a road running parallel to the line. Rarely hear anything.

elsien

Nuggy96 wrote: »

Hi David,

Thanks for the reply , what actually can you hear from that distance? I am just worried in the scenario I don’t get used to it, what the sound level would be. Also if planning to have children in future what baby what be like.

Thanks

Baby would be fine - they can sleep through much worse than a train at that distance.
Having train noise doesn't compare to noisy neighbours - I've had both. Noisy neighbours are far far worse because of the unpredictability and feelings of lack of control. Traffic is also worse (in my experience) because it changes - idiots accelerating, horns going etc. Train noise is more predictable and doesn't vary much so is easier to acclimatise to.

Yalpsmol

My house is near(ish) a train line. You cant even see it from the house as its a good 2000-2500 feet away and trees block the view. But it runs over a bridge so the noise carries a bit as its high up. Most days I hear nothing at all, but sometimes my dog notices the noise when I dont (she has a severe noise sensitivity). If there is no other general noise (someone mowing their law, neighbours banging around, TV/radio) then I hear it too. With this in mind I would be surprised if you didnt hear and/or feel it at 300ish feet.

But as above most people get used to it. My partners dad has a train line running along the bottom of the garden (well, a few feet away). Its really loud. You wouldn't be having a nap in the garden on a summers day. You would also be stuffed if you worked nights I am pretty sure. But it suits them fine.

AdrianC

Ultimately, you can have any number of anecdotes either way - but they aren't you, with your own tolerances for noise, and the lines may be very different from the one in question. Go and stand that distance from that railway line for a while. See what you think.

Some lines are louder than others - a friend has a line going right by the side of his place, maybe 5-10m from the actual house, but the trains are infrequent and slow, so not intrusive.

One thing's for sure - rail traffic is not going to reduce over the coming years.

need_an_answer

Is the house priced sensibly because of its location?

Most things tend to come with a compromise,clearly the trainline is what your compromise will be or not.

If double glazing isn't going to block the noise sufficiently for you,would you consider installing triple glazing for example.

It all comes down to your decision,its one that others cant make for you.
I suspect however what you may be trying to ask is when you come to sell the property will others buy it....

Of course there will be someone prepared to buy,but again its their compromise and maybe some will be put off.

Slappermum

Nuggy96 wrote: »

Thanks for your replies, so for context, I lived in a block of flats that had noisy neighbours above, used to give me anxiety attacks in middle of night and never got used to it, when they walked around. I also used to live on a 5th floor next to a main road and never got used to it. I’m worried I won’t adjust like other people.

How much noise would I be expecting at 300 feet?

The thing with the main road and especially with noisy neighbours is that the noise they make is RANDOM, which is why it is so much more annoying and harder to get used to. Trains run on a schedule. And even if this gets disrupted, it still takes it all of 30 seconds to go by your house, whereas with neighbours you never know if they'll annoy you for the next 10 minutes or the next 10 hours...

Cakeguts

I have lived in this house for 30 plus years. Further away than 300 feet is a tube and mainline into London and with the windows open or when I am in the garden I still hear the trains. I am very noise sensitive and I have never got completely used to them.


Children who are born in Los Alamos in New Mexico where there are frequent thunderstorms sleep through them. The trains won't bother babies born near them because for those children they are normal background noises. For me background noises include chickens, cows and cockerels.

AdrianC

Slappermum wrote: »

Trains run on a schedule.

Passenger trains do. Freight trains don't.

getmore4less

Nuggy96 wrote: »

There’s no trains from 11-6 but I usually wake around 8, also hear about potential freights being the problem which can happen anytime during the night?

Have you checked all trains,

We have two lines that have no passenger trains but plenty of goods traffic overnight.

One is 220m(slightly raised) the other 245m(slight depression)
(they join up about 700m so in the centre of a V

You can here them in the garden but not intrusive.

The layout of the surrounding houses causes reflections so upstairs with the widow open we can here one of the lines even though the window point away from the lines.

A lot of freight is not scheduled but runs as needed.

try the realtime site for the line you are interested in to see what has been run overnight.

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/

Looking at the lines between 0am and 8am
last night we had the last passenger train come past around 1 am there were 3 others between then and 2am then 5am the passenger services start up again,
none on Sunday
variable eaxtra during the week.

I think the noisy one we hear some nights is a very long waste train.