Buying Near A Trainline

desthemoaner

 In January we viewed a bungalow that backed onto a railway line. Absolutely immaculate: the owner was a retired electrician and also a perfectionist. Everything was spot on.

The Chester to Holywell railway line ran past the bottom of the garden, probably about 60 feet from the back of the house. The agent told us there were ten trains per day, but I think that was a slip of the tongue and she meant to say "ten per hour". As it happened the trains were going pretty fast at that point, so the only sound was a loud SWISHHHHH that lasted about 10 seconds and wouldn't have bothered us at all.

In between trains there was a cracking view across fields to a mountain, so nothing not to like. Sadly the seller messed us about after we made an offer and we decided to look elsewhere.

RedFraggle

I moved into a flat backing onto a Trainline that was overground, southwest trains and freight. You get used to it very quickly. The  bedroom windows were a double glazed unit plus a single glazed inner window and you could barely hear it (the freight ran through the night). Did need subtitles on for summer when the balcony door was open but if the price reflected it I wouldn't worry about it. That said, without that experience I'd never have bought such a property (this was a rental). 

Kat78MFW

We have a train line at the end of our garden and I love it. The train runs on top of an embankment that is covered in trees and full of wildlife. It means our garden is completely private, despite living in the suburbs, and not overlooked with no risk of new houses being built that change our private aspect. The kids used to wave at the train as it passed when they were little. It's a local line with about 6 trains per hour. I guess I'd feel differently if it was a noisier intercity route. 

TripleH

We rented a property which had a train line not too far away which ran a steam engine on the route. We heard the whistle and that was all.

If your higher up a valley wall and the track is at the bottom, I think you hear it more although as said a station nearby is far more disruptive than the train itself.

We couldn't gave one at the back of our garden due to daft cats also.

Sapindus

I've lived under the flight path a few miles from Heathrow airport, and also right next to a busy main road, and currently 500m from the M6.  I'd take the intermittent noise from planes or trains any day over the constant roar of a road.  There's something soothing about the rhythm, and the ebb and flow of it.

I'd probably be more bothered wondering why my visitors called it a "Trainline" instead of a railway.  Is this like roundabouts and islands?  Do I need to just move to the middle of nowhere and not talk to anyone any more?

bouicca21

How near is near?  The other side of my road backs onto a commuter line.  There is noise but I don’t notice it.   That I’m close to the station is a mixed blessing. Handy, but makes parking difficult because of all those commuters who refuse to walk anywhere and are too tight to pay to use the station car park.

JReacher1

I have a train line at the end of my garden. Noticed it for the first week but then you forget about it. 

TripleH

We had the parking issue with our last flat. Nightmare to park at our own property during the day because of train station nearish.

We ended up getting small cars that could fit in our carport and using that.

Ramouth

I have lived by a couple of stations.  You get used to the noise really quickly.  The only thing I struggled with was night time engineering works.  It didn’t happen often but was pretty disruptive when it did.

Tiglet2

I lived in a house backing onto a main line commuter train.  The garden was about 100 ft and the railway was maybe 25 ft beyond the boundary.  The station was about 1/4 mile further along, so trains were slowing or just speeding up when they went by.  I noticed the noise for the first week or two (and didn't think I'd ever get used to it!) and then it just became background noise.  While I wouldn't actively look for another house so close to a railway, it wouldn't put me off if everything else about the house was perfect.