Do you live in a house near a railway line?

[Wigeon]

If you live in a house near a railway line, how much does the noise bother you? Selling our house and just looked at a house less than 150m away from the town's main railway line, with regular trains passing. There are trees between the house and the line, but it did seem pretty noisy in the garden (and in the house if the windows were open). There's also a main road nearby with a constant hum of traffic. But the house itself was really lovely and ticks pretty much all our boxes!

Do you just get used to it? Or does it both you, especially at night, or in the summer if you are trying to enjoy your garden?

I live (almost) under a beautiful viaduct. I can see the trains pass from my living room (second floor room) window and it honestly doesn’t bother me. The noise is minimal but it isn’t a very busy line, perhaps 4 trains an hour. I can’t hear them if the window is closed. I don’t know if noise is minimal because the trains run above the height of the house?
And then there’s another line (lined by trees) about 400 meters from the house (they join about 800 meters away). This track is slightly raised too but only to second floor window level I’d say. This line has a daily train which is heading to a power station and it trundles past slowly, carrying very heavy cargo. I can hear this train more than the ones directly above but still not an issue. The normal trains on that line can’t be heard from my house.
Sometimes we’ll get a steam train go past which is lovely.
I suppose it would depend on how busy your line is as it how annoying it would be.

I live beneath a railway platform. There’s a couple of trains an hour. They are electric so minimal noise. I don’t hear anything if the windows are closed. There’s the occasional diesel overnight which is noisier. The repetitive train announcements do get on my nerves a bit but the volume isn’t high.
We bought the house because of the proximity to the station and I can be in two big cities very quickly.

Doesn't bother me but we only have two trains in each direction per hour, and it's a small branch line, starts at 06.30. I've lived with a tram line at the bottom of the garden before and the stop was right there. the announcements and beeping doors of that were much more annoying.

I grew up with the kings cross - Doncaster train line at the end of our garden. Visitors commented on how noisy it was but we didn't even notice them after a while. They never woke me up or anything.

Used to live very close to a busy ish rail line in London. Two rails, one in either direction, train every 10-15 mins most of the day. Electric so relatively low noise and the occasional cargo train but very little overnight activity. Hardly noticed it after a week even with all the windows open.
More detail would be handy to give you a better feel for it.
The verges can be a bit of a magnet for foxes which can be a pain locally

I have a station platform at the end of my 40 foot garden behind a wall and fence so not overlooked. We are talking the smallest sort of station not Clapham Junction. It doesn't bother me at all. The trains are always stopping rather than whistling past and they stop overnight so it's quiet at night. Even people who have trains whistling past tune them out. If someone has tons of money they'd avoid a station, but if they don't you can get more for your money.

It’s terrible for a few weeks and then you just stop noticing.

You just completely tune it out after a while. Same with living near a motorway.

The road would bother me much, much more. I would love a house near a train line but I am a bit of a geek and just quite like trains….

We have a station with crossing about 200m or less at the crow files (downhill).

Hourly trains. I rarely hear them in the day in the house. In the garden you can hear the crossing in the distance and the click clack as it goes past. The odd horn. But otherwise no disturbance. Doesn't bother us at all, although my Partner had had concerns.

Mine is at the bottom of my garden. I cant notice it anymore tbh. Its not loud unless doing maintenance which they give you notice of and is rare.

I live across the road from the south coast railway line and a level crossing, as PP the first week or two I was thinking what have a done but it becomes background noise very quickly. The local ducks make more racket than the passing trains

Just need a suitable viewing point and you can keep a toddler entertained for a good hour!

Yep, there's a railway line behind the bungalows opposite. Not huge gardens, probably around 120 feet from my living room to the line. I noticed it the first couple of weeks of living here (I did previously live in a very quiet cul de sac though so even a car passing the house every couple of minutes was noticeable), we've been here 9 years now though and hardly notice. We have 4 trains an hour from 6am-midnight every day. It's not very often that houses or bungalows come on the market in our street either so it can't bother my neighbours either!

Well yes, quite! And quite a few grown ups as well.

love the username @TreadSoftlyOnMyDreams - Yeats?

It's actually really odd.

I live about 30m from a railway line.

I don't actually notice the trains except when the lovely steam ones go by.

And the only reason I know I don't notice them is because when they aren't running I notice they aren't iyswim?!

But yes to foxes. I live suburban in a quiet street (one way in and out) and we have loads of foxes around sue to the railway.

Them crying at night is more noticeable then the trains!

My parents live close to a railway line and they don't notice it (and I didn't either when I lived there). You just get used to it.

Yes I'm the same, last week I was thinking something doesn't feel right and I realised it was because the trains weren't running because of the strikes!

That was me last week too! It's like environmental sounds become so natural you notice their absence rather than their existence?!

My friend has a biggish garden, but the train line is at the bottom - about 200ft away. It's not a hugely busy line, and although you can't really miss the noise, it's really not too bad.

I think I'd prefer it to being close to a busy road (me).

We’re about 400 metres from a very busy (the busiest in the country I think), it’s sort of at the end of road so not at the bottom of the garden and we can only hear it faintly unless it’s a horn but I do really quite like it! Couldn’t be doing with a busy road though, not just the noise but also the pollution.

Yep! We have a railway line down an embankment at the bottom of the garden. I love the steam trains going by, I come over all Railway Children! It was weird during lockdown when the trains stopped. I love hearing the last train of the night, weirdly it makes me feel safe, like the world is carrying on while I drift off to sleep. There's something romantic about trains v cars and lorries!

Road noise would be much more of a dealbreaker for me.

I have a railway at the bottom of my garden with 8 trains per hour.

TBH, I don't notice them at all.

The worst thing is that when I turn out of my street, I have to cross the level crossing, but it's not something I get stressed about.

My dh lived opposite a very large old church that still has chiming every 1/4 hour. It drives me mad when we stay there as it goes on right through the night. DH does not notice it. I think you grow used to it over time.

I have a railway line at the end of my road, roughly 150m away as well, its not a mainline with trains about every 15 mins. Most of the time I don't even notice it, occasionally I might hear the 5:30 am train when in bed but it's not a big deal. The station is about 300m away and that is a selling point!