Around 20 trains an hour passing back garden - everyone saying "you'd get used to it" - would you?

[DecisionTime123]

Been to see a house where I knew there was a trainline, the garden is less than 30 foot long and about 5 foot from the back fence is line A, then another (say) 15 foot away is line B. I suspect line B is the Gatwick express but don't hold me to it. Anyway, I knew there'd be some noise but thought let's have a look. In the 15 minutes we were there at least 6 trains went through, sometimes 2 trains at once - one on each line. The "express" train line was slightly higher than the other and that was quite loud. I've checked the timetable and I think the 20 trains is a good guesstimate, and it would be going around 19 hours a day.

House had lots of other thing we really wanted, but honestly, could you get used to it? We've been looking for ages so I am feeling a bit suspect at friends saying nah that'll be fine etc. (edited to say I suspect this as everyone is fed up of hearing me going on about the house search!) Also I wonder if the noise would affect the dog, again there's no way of knowing. Any thoughts?

That’s quite a busy line but I will say we have lived with a railway line down an embankment at the bottom of garden for almost a decade and I couldn’t tell you how many trains an hour go past as I don’t notice them at all, I’d have to go and look it up on a timetable or something! Our dog was never bothered in the least.

My mum lives in a house with similar (and I lived there for years!) you genuinely get used to it and don’t notice at all! The living room was at the back (train line side) and the bedrooms were at the front (main road with buses running from 5.30am - midnight) - neither were a problem!

I used to live very close to the west coast mainline.

didn’t notice it until O went to uni and came back for the holidays.

I’ve recently moved next to a railway and you do get used to it remarkably quickly. I don’t even notice half of the trains now though I do enjoy watching them when I do.

Yes. I’ve lived in 2 houses beside railway lines. Got used to it really quickly both times.

My dogs don’t care either.

Not quite the same thing but I live near Heathrow & after 5 years barely notice the planes.

No I wouldn’t get used to that because it’s not constant noise and I sleep with bedroom window open 8 months of the year.
Be ok in the winter when you’re indoors with windows shut but what about in summer when you’ve got doors to garden open?
If it’s down and embankment it might be better as tat muffles sound slightly.

I used to live in East London and the train line in to Liverpool Street station was at the end of the (very small) back yard/garden. Genuinely got used to it, rarely noticed it.
Though my friend (who I lived with) did once message me at work to say she’d been stuck on the loo for twenty minutes, oh no I said, are you ill? No she said, it’s just that the Southend train has been stuck at a red light for ages and I forgot to pull the blind so if stand up they’ll all be able to see me.
So there is that.

I definitely stopped noticing the main line to Edinburgh which was behind our house.

It just blends into the background after a while.

If the house you're looking at has good points, do consider it.

Day trains - no problem, six am freight trains? Nope never got used to that thank goodness I didn't have a job to get to back then

I used to live next to a really busy metro line that ran til late at night, I stopped noticing after a week. Occasionally when there was work going on on the line it was noisy but otherwise I genuinely never got bothered by it, and I'm very funny about annoying nosies ha.

Unless its on a curve where the wheels sometimes squeek it should be ok.
Network Rail will notify you if they are working on the track at any time.

God no

We backed on to a railway line when my dc were small. We did indeed get used to the noise very quickly. DS absolutely loved being out in the garden, watching the trains.

I lived in a house that backed on to a railway line, and did get used to it day to day (as did the dogs in the rescue facility next door - didn't seem to set them off) BUT we had to pause conversation if we were sitting outside.

@DecisionTime123
I would but I work for Network Rail so it's my dream to live next to a line 😁
I find the sound of trains comforting.

I’ve never lived near a train line but I lived on a flight path very close to an airport (so close the house would rattle when a plane went over!) and honestly didn’t notice after a while. Having said that, I also lived on a busy road and I never got used to the traffic noise. It drove me so mad I had to eventually move.

Oh have lived in two places that back onto busy train lines. I loved it !

no one looking in at the back
loads more wildlife
no one can build a tower book behind you

for me it would be a positive. Tho I am a heavy sleeper

I have lived in a house that backs on to a line, the garden was 100ft though and we did get used to it, not sure I would at that small a distance though.

Not train line but I’m in flight path a a major city airport, and honestly font even notice anymore…only exception is some of the huge military crafts that stop by every couple of months.

Oh in summer they run steam trains down our line every so often which is amazing! We can see the puffs rising and floating over our garden, it’s like being in the Railway Children

Yes. I grew up in a similar house (my parents still live there) and never noticed the trains. We were quite close to a fairly quiet station so around half the trains were going fast as not stopping but around half stopped and it was often the noise from those trains at the station that friends noticed. We’d also often get freight trains during the night, but I also never noticed them.

I lived 6ft from a tube line, for a few years, and just didn't notice them after a really short time

We back onto sidings in London and it never bothers me. 8 trains an hour, but they aren’t going fast and I hardly notice them. We’ve been here years, but my view was always that without the train line we wouldn’t have been able to afford the house.