Would you buy a house that backed onto a train line?

[nicolllaaaaaaa]

Hello, Great house, great area. Backs onto a trainline. Would love some perspective. Thank you.

I live next to a not massively busy line, the embankment puts the trains at a level with the 1st floor.

Pros:
the noise is not an issue, in fact it's kind of soothing
It feels like we're in the countryside rather than the city- big plus
Wildlife use it as a green corridor, we have all sorts along there
More land than the average house around here, and cheaper
The kids love watching and counting the train carriages going past

Cons:
Seeds from the trees on the embankment sow themselves in our garden and its bloomin annoying
Big freight trains rattle the house
Local burglars use the line (and our yard) as a handy short cut on getaways

I wouldn’t. We live two streets over ish (it curves) from the railway line and sometimes hear the horns or hear it faintly at night and wouldn’t want it any louder.

I wouldn’t worry so much about the trains but the land itself. Network rail has a real problem with the growth of both Japanese’s knotweed and Himalayan Balsam on their land and they are nit great at treating the problem.
So before I would even consider the noise I would want to be sure neither of those nasties were lurking at the bottom of the garden.
You might not be in a network rail area but it is still something to check up on.

I lived in a house with a mainline track at the end of the (long) garden, and had no problem, in fact I quite enjoyed hearing and seeing the trains and you do get used to any noise, or just not notice it after a while.

Engineering work can be noisy.

Also check if there is a signal nearby in case trains stop outside your property.

Check for a 'W' Board nearby as that's where trains have to sound their horns.

Network Rail generally look after the fencing and nearby trees.

I would be cautious though if any pets, despite the fencing there's always the worry they could escape.

I would recommend spending some time around the property to assess noise levels, also research the type of trains using the track and frequency.

I think it depends on proximity to the actual house and how busy a line it is. The house we’ve just bought backs on to a train line, but we have 9 acres of paddocks between it and the house and it’s a super quiet line so even when we’re outside it’s not particularly bothersome. In contrast we viewed one house that we were told ran alongside a “quiet” line only to discover the crossing had a truly obnoxious siren that could be heard wherever you were in the house and there were trains flying back and forth every few minutes so that was an easy no for us.

Totally depends on what affects you personally - for me it would be a no because I find low-level repetitive noise intrusive and unsettling, and also hate being overlooked. Though I think I’d take a quiet branch line over a busy road, for example.

I did but: it had great insulation - this was a condition for the builder from the Railway (triple glazed windows I think), it was also close to a station so trains were slowing down.
The worst aspect was when they had the machines to re- bed the sleepers etc. at night, quite noisy and slow moving (and about 1 -3 am).

Was great with a small baby- as often distracted him with "look at the train".

My uni house backed onto the mainline to london, I loved the noise of it.

I live about 2 roads away from a railway line now, not so close up I would even think of it and due to lockdown I can now hear the trains again at nights

We did. There's no doubt it's a "con" to the house - it's noisy and the house shakes. But the price was good, no regrets. I actually love the outlook as the embankment is all mature trees

If someone wants to find a way to invade your privacy they will, so being overlooked from a moving vehicle would bother me.

Repetitive, low level noise is easy to tune out. Actual works are more noticeable.

I'd love it. It means you're not overlooked by another row of houses and actually I find the noise comforting (though am I influenced by small children who love trains). We put an offer in on a house like this but didn't get it.

*wouldn’t

Yes, but I love trains!

My garden backs onto a train line but the garden is long and the trains are in a cutting. It's also not a commuter line so we get maybe...2 a day but I genuinely can't remember the last time I noticed one go past!

I think for me it would depend if I could see the trains go past and so they could then see me.

The worst would be in thr summer using the garden, with trains hurtling past.

I guess it depends how near to the train line the property is. I live near one. After a while I didn't notice the sound of the trains being loud. I sort of got used to it.

Very occasionally I get a letter to notify me that work is going to be carried out on the train line in the middle of the night. That's the only time noise from the track had disturbed me.

I actually like hearing the trains go by. I like train journeys and think about being transported somewhere more exciting. I hope that doesn't make me sound like a train spotter

@Proudboomer

I wouldn’t worry so much about the trains but the land itself. Network rail has a real problem with the growth of both Japanese’s knotweed and Himalayan Balsam on their land and they are nit great at treating the problem. So before I would even consider the noise I would want to be sure neither of those nasties were lurking at the bottom of the garden. You might not be in a network rail area but it is still something to check up on.

I was about to post this. If the land adjoining yours has Japanese knotweed and it's another residential property, the owner of that land is going to be incentivised to sort it for their own sake, not just yours. Network Rail, on the other hand, not really bothered about doing anything. And you're then stuck with an unsellable house.

My house does. Love it and the trains are not an issue. It’s comforting to hear the first train go past if I’m awake about 5:30sm. If I’m asleep it never wakes me.
However the garden is long, about 30m, and the train line is in a deep cutting so can’t be seen from the house and this muffles the sound. It’s a wildlife corridor with the sides of the cutting supporting a huge variety of plants and animals.

I can collect sloes for gin, blackberries, and elderflowers for cordial.

Trains are getting quieter with increased electrification. Vey occasionally we get a steam train on a special excursion. I was digging at the bottom of the garden one winter afternoon around dusk and a steam train went past with the fire box stoked up and all the individual carriages with little lamps in the windows. An amazing sight.

Personally no. But that’s because my then-partner committed suicide on the train line behind the house

Never!

I did. I don't hear the trains. It's just a little local line.

Not quite the same but when I moved into my partner's house , his was close to a railway line.
At the beginning I found it quite hard to get used to the noise of the trains going past ( mainline )
There was always a goods train that rumbled past about 4 in the morning and would wake me up.
Watching tv in the evening and hearing trains go past was very distracting.
But now I don't even hear them , they have faded into the background .

I would as I dont mind traffic noise. I stayed in a hotel right next to a tram line and I loved it. It was so soothing. I live about half a mile from a big train station and I can hear the trains when I'm outside and I really like it. It is people with their constant noise I cannot stand ...

Better a train line than a main road or within earshot of a motorway.
Having said that, we visited a friend near Ealing and they lived right next to a line where the trains passed at high speed. The flat was so close that you could feel the pressure shock when a train went past. Not fun.

Our house backs on to the underground.

The noise doesn't bother us but visitors often comment on it - especially if we are in the garden. Also the train lights up our back bedroom which could bother some.

The only downside for me is when there are engineering works, can be really noisy and intrusive at night. Oh and we have a cat but she never ventures that far!