Would you buy a house that backs onto railway ..

[Locationvshousevsgarden]

Just that really! Looking to love and finally found something we like but the railway is 6 metres away from back garden boundary... mature trees but you still hear and can see a train every 20 mins. I am not sure so looking for advice... do you live in a similar house? Do you regret it? Would you buy a house backing on railway ? Help !

A starter home absolutely a permanent family home no. It would also depend on what time trains run. Our first home backed onto a track but there where no trains after 10.30pm and you do get use to it I barely noticed it after a few weeks

I don't live backing onto to railway tracks but I can hear the train go past from my house. It wouldn't bother me at all as long as it's not very noisy?

We rented one. The nu ber of days coming of the track was insane. We caught 21 one weekend

That's a no btw

Surely the house will vibrate if the trains are only 6m away. The house would have to be an amazing bargain for me to consider - and I'm hard of hearing..

What line is it on? How frequent are the trains? I think you get used to it, but I once had to stay near an A road and it was unbearable. Trains would be ok though

It’s a no from me

Sorry I don't understand your message - what came off the tracks?

The house is probably cheaper because of this, making it more affordable. I lived on a busy main road as a kid. It was a lovely house and you just tuned the traffic noise out and didn't really notice it after a while so I would.

It doesn't vibrate and you don't hear it when inside the house. It's a large garden so you only hear it when outside. They don't go by very fast

If it was a good location and nice house I would buy it.

No

It's on a line that goes into London Waterloo. Granted the same house in a quiet arra would cost a lot more . Trains evey 20 mins

Yes. Especially if an electrified line as no fumes.

My PIL do they have a small back garden, an alley and then the train line. They don’t have a problem with it at all and don’t even hear the trains now. However it’s a once an hour train line not sure I would do every 20mins. Also their bedroom is at the front of the house and it’s a modern house with good double glazing which I’m sure both help.
Positive sides- nobody is going to be building directly behind them, garden isn’t overlooked from the back and they get loads of wildlife- foxes, headgehogs, badgers, it’s a very urban area but I believe they all live on the banks around the track.

Considering there is usually a lot of Japanese Knotweed on railway banks I wouldn't buy if there was. Also depends if it's freight trains day and night, a mainline train line or an occasional train to rural areas. Also if you have cats and dogs that could get on the tracks.

What does this mean? You counted 21 trains in one day? 🤔

As others have said OP, as a starter home, I'd consider it. I moved from a very quiet home into my then boyfriends, central London flat. The tube went underneath and there was an over ground line within ear shot. The increase in noise was very disruptive, BUT, ear plugs helped and within a short while I got used to it.

We've since moved to a much quieter area and I absolutely love the peace and quiet. I'd be reading up if there are any health issues with being close to a train line, esp if you are planning to TTC in future.

I grew up in one and my parents still live there. We had a decent sized back garden and the trains are below the level of the garden. It absolutely doesn’t bother me even now when I’ve not lived there for 20year. I can’t sleep anywhere with the slightest amount of road traffic noise though!

If you don’t hear it inside the house then yes.

You do get used to it, and in the garden there are worse noises than trains.

You’d also have to think about resale, unless you want to stay there forever. If you’re having doubts, probably potential buyers in the future will too.

Electric trains are quiet. A road is much worse

I love ours - but it’s a branch line (Reading to Gatwick) so less frequent. And we have a 60ft/20m garden and the line is recessed down which helps with noise/being overlooked. It means we’re not overlooked at the back at all, and I feel like we have a lot of space. The noise is negligible.

That level of frequency and the fact it’s one of the mainlines (I think?) would have me a bit worried, can passengers see into the house?

Absolutely not. We lived in a small railway cottage for about 6 months and sold up. Thought we would be fine with it as we were used to city living but it was horrendous!

No there are mature hedges at the back so no one can see in and yiu can't see the trains either in garden but you can when upstairs

This is interesting .... I never considered this. So a train line would be less bothersome than a large road (although if bedroom at back you might not hear it)