House backing into railway line, will rats be a problem?

[Overdon]

Viewing a lovely house next week, it backs onto a branch line, 5 mins away from a local station.
Not bothered about the noise as I love trains, but mentioned the viewing to someone and they said train tracks are rife with rats. Is this true? Does anyone have experience of living next to a train line and being invaded by rats/or not?

We back onto a branch line and have done for 12 years. The only rats we've ever seen are the ones our cat has kindly gifted us.

Apparently foxes moved into cities when railway lines were laid down, as they offer a route in which is seldom frequented by humans. I did live in a rented flat near a mainline in London and we did have a rat issue, so maybe there’s something in it. We had a big mouse issue here until we got a cat.

We moved easier in the year from a Victoria property alongside a train line. Foxes yes, but not rats! South coast.

My parents have a branch line at the bottom of their garden. No rats.
I've seen them on railways in docks or underground stations but that's cos food is available there. Railways have no special attraction for rats. Food does.

There are rats everywhere. We used to live by a canal and whilst it was teaming with them we only saw one once. Rats are quite shy and as long as you dont give them a food source outside or have decking you will be okay.

The only place I have seen rats on a railway line is while changing trains at Birmingham New Street station, and that was a good while ago now. I’ve been there since and no rats.

Lots of places particularly railway stations have bait boxes for rats.

Some of the bait boxes can be seen on train platforms.

We had pest control out the other day and he said that his garden had rats, despite his best efforts, because it backed onto a railway line and that was inevitable

My friend backs onto the mainline and has a problem with rats, she is however in the countryside and there is water across the road so could be a coincidence.

@TheVolturi

What would attract rats to a railway line?

Faster travel times.

I think the rats thing dates from the times when train toilets flushed directly on to the railway line. Passengers were always told to not flush while the train was at a station.

Do you know what sort of trains live? Fast line, local live?

@HarrisonStickle that made me chuckle.🤣🤣

@Classicblunder sounds a bit worrying coming from a pest controller.

@Naughtynovembertree it’s a local branch line.

The responses so far are a bit mixed, I wonder if it depends how close you are to train tunnels, open water etc. Good to hear from a pp that waste isint flushed onto the lines anymore.

I am still going ahead with the viewing this week though.

I shouldn't worry too much. Unfortunately rats are everywhere and I agree re it's any disturbance in any urban area that can cause issues.
There are good things about having a train line in that they can't build near it so it creates a natural barrier.

When you think about a rail line it's literally metal on the earth.

If your near the actual part where people's eat chuck rubbish and leave food out it maybe an issue.

I have lived by a railway for 8 years (tracks are at the bottom of the garden) I've saw 1 rat.

Definitely watch out for Japanese knotweed! Loads around here. We have a treatment plan, teensy sprig appears at random, absolutely inconsequential to how we live, but pretty sure it'll put off some buyers when we come to sell, due to mortgage companies rather than any actual issues in reality.

Foxes, yes, and owls. No rats though.

We lived in a house with a main line railway at the bottom of the garden, the only issues were the noise and vibration.

It was quite a posh area and I think that the rats probably went about in 4 x4s rather than using the train.