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?

My back yard in my old house backed onto a train track. It wasn’t 20 and hour or anything much past midnight to 6am but definitely wasn’t an issue for me

Yes you get used to it, in general. But then there can still be random very loud trains in the middle of the night that wake you up. And work on the railways is done overnight. Doesnt happen much, but just something to be prepared for.

We live not far from a railway line that is used by LNER, Freight trains, local services and the Metro service. We've lived there 20 years and you do get used to it. I do notice when I don't hear them passing, for example if services are off on the metro for weather/track or point issues etc

No I would not consider it having lived on a quiet line before.

That’s a very busy line and you’ll have the unscheduled night freight too which are heavy and make screeching noises.

Every BBQ or family you have is dominated by the trains passing and in summer when you sleep with the windows open, it’s loud.

Some people love it and many are posting here but it’s not for me.

We back onto a railway station AND we live under the Heathrow flight path, I don't notice either noise now. It's great having the railway behind as we are not over-looked and we know that there will never be a development there :)

I used to live on top of the tube line (Central line). The whole place used to shake when one went under which was every few mins. It didn’t bother me at all. It’s amazing how quickly you get used to these things.

I grew up near major train station and I loved the sounds of the trains! I did not realise until later I rented a place near a train line. The landlord was apologetic but I found the noise soothing and I still miss it! Depends how sensitive you are to noise. I love city noises, ambulances, trains, cars - it calms me down. My xDH hated any kind of noise and could not sleep when we were on hols in NY. He could only sleep in total silence. I guess if you are like this it would be problematic.

Also, is there any vibration from trains? That could be an issue, too.

I grew up in an area used for army training - helicopters, fast jets, artillery. A schoolfriend slept over one night and couldn't sleep due to the windows vibrating from the artillery. I didn't even notice the noise.

As an adult I lived in West London and I kept waking up really early. It took me a while to realise that it was low flying planes that were waking me up. I didn't notice the noise, but it was enough to disturb my sleep.

🤷

We used to live by a trainline, we genuinely stopped hearing it! Didn't take long either. Visitors would come and mention it and we wouldn't even notice. They weren't as often as you've mentioned, though.

Sounds exactly like a house I rented a few years ago. Trains passed so close to the back of the house I could wave at passengers if I was at kitchen window. Barely noticed after a few days and never got woken or disturbed at all.

Have lived very close to a busy passenger and freight line for 20 years - the only thing I notice is when they occasionally tamp the tracks or do other maintenance but it’s infrequent. You definitely get used to it and my dogs (one very reactive) have never been fussed by it.

We moved to a house when I was younger with a railway at the end. The house shook when we moved in they were so noticeable.

lived there for 10 years and didn’t notice them at all after a few weeks! A bit like i don’t really notice the planes coming in to land over me. I know they are there and I sometimes hear them in the early mornings but don’t really register them.

My grandparents used to live right next to a train line (it was a very quiet one, town train and cargo so only a handful of times a day!) but we never really noticed it unless I saw them! They lived there over 50 years!
my friend lived in a flat near the towns clock tower (went off every 15 minutes) I spent a lot of time there when she lived there and I didn't even notice it, yet from my house I do occasionally notice it and I live further away lol. It depends how good you are at tuning things out I guess

Probably. My grandmothers house had similar and I don’t think I noticed it a whole lot but then I was a small child.

DH wouldn’t be able to deal with it. He made me walk around our town mapping the volume of the train line from each location before we bought our house.

When I lived on a main road though that was different and horrible. I think because the sounds were unpredictable

I grew up next to a a very busy dual carriageway, which was he main road into Manchester city centre and the traffic noise was normal to me and I struggled to sleep without that noise. I now live in an incredibly quiet village and can't sleep with any noise. My in-laws have trains passing their back garden, it's noisy outside, but they've said they're used it to now and don't notice the trains at all. I think you get used to your surroundings.

No
we used to live fairly close to the station and that made a big difference because of course they’re slowing down and they get noisier plus if you’re anywhere near a bridge that’s where all the maintenance gets done at 4 o’clock in the morning slamming van/car doors etc
The other thing they don’t warn you about is the overhead electrical cables when it rains it’s inside the bloody northern lights glowing up
Enough to wake you through the windows

I lived in a first floor flat right beside a very busy commuter station in the London suburbs for 12 years. I actually bought it because it was so close to the station. I was young, newly divorced and going out partying a lot after work and didn't want to have a long walk home late at night. It was about 1 min from my door to the station platform. I loved that flat and was sorry to sell it after my now DH moved in and we had DS and we outgrew it a bit

I really did not mind the trains though it was definitely a bit more noticeable in the summer with the windows open. There were however maybe 5 or 6 occasions in 12 years where they had very noisy overnight works, . They used to send out letters do you had warning and an idea of how long it would last. Most of them were for a short time, a couple of weeks but I remember one that went on for months. Those could be really noisy, not all the time during the work but sometimes and usually at night. That one period that was months of work was probably the only time I almost regretted iliving there and when I started using earplugs but overall I lived in a lovely, convenient flat in greater London for 12 years for a price I'd never have been able to afford otherwise.

It rented out really quickly when we moved out of London and the young married couple tenants ended up buying it when we sold it 3 years later so they must have been fine with the trains too

My office at work is around 30m from the West Coast mainline. I’ve worked here for 3 years and the trains are really annoying. Some days I don’t notice them as much, other days, they drive me mad. If I’m on the phone with the window open it’s a nightmare. I would never buy a house next to a railway line.

I don’t know if I’d get used to it but think about re-sale in years from now, not just what may/not affect you now.

I also lived with trains at the end of my garden for 5 years. The line was in a cutting, so we couldn't see them, and I liked their noise as I found it strangely comforting, especially at night time. I'd lived fairly close to a railway line as a young child (steam trains!) and I think the sound took me back to those days.

What I didn't like was the station a little way down the line and we had protracted negotiations with the manager about the volume & times of the announcements.

I lived in a flat near a station, with trains about 40 feet away at the end of our garden, but they were in a deep embankment so that cut out some noise. The road at the front was quiet so we slept at the front.

You do get used to the noise and mainly don't notice it, but if you were at the back of the house with windows open, or in the garden, you had to stop talking/couldn't hear the radio when a train went past. There were about ten an hour, plus freight.

The main problem was when they worked on the lines overnight. That was extremely noisy and you definitely would not have been able to sleep at the back of the house.

If you have triple glazing, dont open your window at night and play white noise. So Id say it depends how much u care about opening the window

I lived across the road from the Jubilee line for around a year, and years later very close to train lines. I never got used to them; the first train of the day always woke me up.

Are these the ones that squeal?? I lived in Streatham (so maybe similar line as OP) and yeah I got used to all the normal trains really quickly even with the window open. But there was one thing that woke me in the wee hours and it sounding like it was attempting to sharpen the tracks or something. Really high pitched squealing is the best way I can describe it.

I lived next to a railway thinking I’d get used to it and didn’t. It drove me insane especially at night time I had to move in the end and that was the only reason as the house was perfect