TFL and Noise Pollution- what can I do?

[titnomatani]

We live in London and our flat overlooks the jubilee line with regular trains going past. There's also another track with a National Rail service passing every half an hour. Until recently, there were thick trees that separated the track from our building which helped reduce noise. However, a few weeks ago, these trees were cut down (we weren't informed that this would be happening) and now the noise is deafening. So much so that our windows and doors shake (we're a new build and this didn't happen before) and my LOs gets startled when he hears the trains going past (he'll stop what he's doing to watch until they're completely out of view) and he is having broken sleep- especially in the evenings when the NR train sounds its horn. What should I do? Should I write to TfL asking them to replace the cut down trees with new ones? Will they listen? Is noise pollution something companies have to take seriously? Please help. I don't know where to start in tackling this.

Should I write to TfL asking them to replace the cut down trees with new ones?

They can’t just install mature trees so the effect wouldn’t be the same.

I contacted TFL about noise in my flat from the tube line that runs underneath. They will come and do some tests. In my case, it was found there were some lose rails or something and it was fixed pretty quickly which I didn't expect at all. The guy told me the more complaints they get, the more likely something will be done so perhaps encourage your neighbours to do the same.

we're a new build

Sounds shit but the trains were there before you were! You chose to live by noisy trains. Shit that the trees were cut down but it’s not something you would need to be ‘informed’ about.

New build flats by multiple train lines are cheap(er) for a reason.

The trees have likely been removed for good reason - destabilising the tracks or interfering with the foundations of nearby buildings or similar - so it isn’t quite as simple as wanting them to be replanted. I can sympathise, I lived for over a year in a flat which fronted directly onto the DLR tracks at Limehouse and for the first few weeks it was deafening, but if it’s any consolation I did get used to it and eventually it becomes background noise.

TFL are actually pretty hot at reacting to noise complaints and coming out to assess. Gather the support of as many neighbours as you can and then email them.

Thanks all. We bought the place 4 years ago and got used to the noise of trains- which was nowhere near as bad as it is now. I'll get into TFL as soon as I can tomorrow and see if they're receptive to my concerns. It really has become horrendous. I had no idea how much noise those former trees blocked out.

Or reduced, even!

I cannot see how the noise is 'deafening'. I live directly across the road from a train line in London used by frequent passenger services and freight trains (the whole house shudders and drinks wobble like in Jurassic Park if it's a particularly heavy train) and even then I'd characterise the noise as 'a bit annoying sometimes'.

Buy a white noise machine and stop paying so much attention to the noise, you'll stop hearing it eventually. Maybe look into getting some better quality double glazing too.

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