Would you buy a house this close to the trainline (see pic inside)?

ffacoffipawb

I'd feel really chuffed to live there.

eidand

I would not even consider it, I don't like to live near a busy road or train line, but that's just me.
The question is ... are YOU happy to live there?
You can easily go there at different hours, sit in the car and see what the noise is like.

GDB2222

Davesnave said:

ZaSa1418 said:

It would put me off but only because i have cats and i would be worried they would go play chicken with the trains   

I have cats and I can assure you they don't dare play chicken with the chickens!

I was once chased by a turkey. It was a big bird, but if push came to shove I'd have bested him. However, turkey-wrestling was not on my CV, so I thought it best to let him win. If I had stood my ground, the likelihood was that I'd have ended up badly scratched. And how do you explain to the owner that you've just killed his turkey? 

NaughtiusMaximus

gerkin said:

I would never buy a house so close to a railway line or a motorway. When it is time to sell, a lot of potential buyers will have similar thoughts and discard the property.

Why developers build so close to a busy train line I do not understand. Sometimes you wonder if that is the last piece of land in UK available to build houses.

Having lived next to both a motorway and a busy railway line there is a huge difference between the intrusiveness of the noise IMO, with motorways being much worse because it's more constant.

One very important factor for me in a property is that the back garden is not overlooked so in that sense I would actually prefer a house which backs on to a railway line than one which backs on to other houses.

solidpro

My biggest issue would be pollution rather than noise. If those tracks had overhead electrical pylons delivering clean (at point of delivery) energy to every train then it would just be noise. However with or without 3rd rail electrical delivery, there is a high probability that many of the trains will be diesel which are noisier, slower and pushing out burnt diesel fumes.

I personally love a good train, but I don't like the idea of living next to hundreds of daily passing diesel power stations on wheels. As people become more environmentally aware, they may feel the same way.

If successive Tory governments weren't so bad, they would have electrified all the routes in the UK since now, but instead they're still virtually Victorian.

davidmcn

solidpro said:

My biggest issue would be pollution rather than noise. If those tracks had overhead electrical pylons delivering clean (at point of delivery) energy to every train then it would just be noise. However with or without 3rd rail electrical delivery, there is a high probability that many of the trains will be diesel which are noisier, slower and pushing out burnt diesel fumes.

I personally love a good train, but I don't like the idea of living next to hundreds of daily passing diesel power stations on wheels. As people become more environmentally aware, they may feel the same way.

While railway engines are pretty big, at most you'd be talking about one train passing every few minutes - which I would have thought is going to be substantially less pollution than being near a moderately busy road.

moneysavinghero

NaughtiusMaximus said:

gerkin said:

I would never buy a house so close to a railway line or a motorway. When it is time to sell, a lot of potential buyers will have similar thoughts and discard the property.

Why developers build so close to a busy train line I do not understand. Sometimes you wonder if that is the last piece of land in UK available to build houses.

Having lived next to both a motorway and a busy railway line there is a huge difference between the intrusiveness of the noise IMO, with motorways being much worse because it's more constant.

One very important factor for me in a property is that the back garden is not overlooked so in that sense I would actually prefer a house which backs on to a railway line than one which backs on to other houses.

You would still be overlooked every time a train goes past. 

The things you see when gazing out of a train window.

NaughtiusMaximus

moneysavinghero said:

NaughtiusMaximus said:

gerkin said:

I would never buy a house so close to a railway line or a motorway. When it is time to sell, a lot of potential buyers will have similar thoughts and discard the property.

Why developers build so close to a busy train line I do not understand. Sometimes you wonder if that is the last piece of land in UK available to build houses.

Having lived next to both a motorway and a busy railway line there is a huge difference between the intrusiveness of the noise IMO, with motorways being much worse because it's more constant.

One very important factor for me in a property is that the back garden is not overlooked so in that sense I would actually prefer a house which backs on to a railway line than one which backs on to other houses.

You would still be overlooked every time a train goes past. 

The things you see when gazing out of a train window.

Depends on the positioning of the line.

If the tracks are at a higher level than the surrounding land you would but not if they're at the same level or in a cutting.

LudaMusser

We went to view a house a few days ago very near a train line. I would say 70/80 yds. One train went past when we were in the house and it wasn’t that noticeable. Not sure if it was pulling away from the station or passing through

I went back on Monday night at 22:30 to check parking and listen for trains. Within eight minutes a train came into the station, stopped then left, pretty quiet tbf. Soon after what must have been a freight train travelled through without stopping, it was quite loud and seemed very long. I couldn’t see it. That was enough for me to decide against it. Esp when I looked at the timetable, trains run up to 00:30am and start at 5:50am and that doesn’t include freight. My wife loves it and says the noise isn’t an issue but the only way to really know is to surely spend a night in the house! Too risky for me personally and it’s been on the market a while and is only a ten minute walk from town so superb location. Ask yourself why it hasn’t sold 

GaleSF63

The trees between the houses and railway will block some of the sound, and any gawpers, though I don't think they would see  anything from that distance anyway. 

But you are the only ones really who can decide whether you could happily live there; as you can see there are various opinions, and that would apply to viewers when you sell as well. But the same applies to other aspects of any house for sale. 

I live right next to a very quiet line, only about 15 service trains a day plus a few specials and freight, and I mean right next to it - about 3-4 car lengths from the line to my living room.  It is at a slightly lower level.  I don't notice most of the trains. I'm not sure I ever completely miss the sleeper or freight as they have what I call "proper" engines, but they don't disturb me, even so close. 

They aren't any louder than my kettle and pass more quickly than the kettle boils. 

I missed the trains when the timetable was cut for a few months due to Coronavirus, and it's nice to have them back!