Living adjacent to Shoreline East Railroad Tracks (New Haven, Danbury: how much, house)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My wife and I have been searching for a while for a house in the Branford Guilford Madison areas. We think we found a house which checks all the boxes, but the property backs up to railroad tracks. We happened to be outside when the train went by twice and didn't find it to be a nuisance, but it could have been shoreline east and not Amtrak Accela. I have some individuals whose opinions I respect steering me away from it because of my three young kids. The property is already partially fenced in. I don't see it as a concern, they think it is a total deal breaker.
I'm looking for the advice of others who live along the shoreline. How concerned should I be about living adjacent to the tracks? I know, I know, "in the end it's your (my) decision" I'm just looking for someone to shed some light on how much of a nuisance it can be, if at all.
Regardless of what anyone says, it's important that you go back and spend a significant amount of time near this train line at or close to the property. You'll kick yourself if there are any surprises after you buy. Go at different times also and get your hands on any info you can regarding train schedules, etc. Speak to neighbors.
Is it the noise that is the basis for the opinions that you've got? I ask because you mention 'partial' fencing after the point about children. I assume that there is no access to or from the tracks within or around the property?
I've lived near tracks before and some of the noise can be sudden and violent which is jarring and stress inducing. With others it's more of a gentle build up and a 'whooosh'. You should be able to find out the max speed in this area - perhaps 125 mph, which may cause the more violent and sudden sound I mentioned. I can't help you with this particular line but some things to consider:
Is it near a station or road crossing? Sometimes that means trains slow down but they can also use their horns more in these areas.
Do freight trains go through there? They are heavy and can be much louder and rumble the earth - and often operate in the middle of the night. I believe that this general line does run freight.
Obviously the insulation and windows in the house make a big difference and often triple glazed windows and/or windows with noise abatement technology are used near train lines or highways.
Future plans - there's long been talk of upgrades to the services on this line, including faster Acela trains and track upgrades. It's important to know if/how/when the situation may get worse.
Overall, i'm not an expert on trains but I do know that this is a rather busy line and it can be 24 hours depending on the traffic that it handles.
Watch resale value. Even if the tracks are not a big problem for you, this is a much less desirable property generally in the market so it should be priced appropriately and you should expect that it could be harder to sell if/when you wish to move on. Related to this point, if you think you might need to invest in expanding the house as your kids get older or if you think you'll do major renovations, then I would think about this carefully. Potential buyers are more likely to accept undesirable features in a lower priced 'starter home' than in a larger, higher priced, longer term family home. And if it's already big enough for a family of 5, it may already be a concern that it's too much house and too high priced for this location.
This is not Shoreline East Tracks. This is the AMTrak railway line on which will run Shoreline East, regular passenger Amtrak, Accela and freight trains.
It's a busy, busy line with trains going all day and all night. In fact there is a whole cluster of trains which go through from 1AM until 3 AM or so. I've lived for 40 years within .40 mile to the tracks. Can't see them but can hear them. Because of the lay of the land where we are, the trains are not really a problem.
But we can hear them coming and going & can hear the whistles. If you're near any freight stops you may also hear the tracks switching .
IMO , I would not live directly adjacent to the tracks. It will be noisy and it will greatly impact resale value.
Obviously, every town along the shore has the trains running through them and various neighborhoods in each town are impacted to some extent by proximity to the trains. I just wouldn't go looking for problems by living next to the tracks.
FYI, trains are required to sound their whistles while approaching a crossing or station. So I would take that into consideration too if the house is next to a crossing or station.
Go there late at night and listen carefully. At night sound is louder and more jarring. That track is part of the busiest rail corridors in the country so there are trains passing day and night. You and your family must be prepared to deal with that. Some people can but most do not. And yes, only you and your spouse can decide if this is something you can live with. Jay
FYI, trains are required to sound their whistles while approaching a crossing or station. So I would take that into consideration too if the house is next to a crossing or station.
In addition to what others said, I think what MrG says here is important. My parents live 5 blocks or so from a grade crossing and you can hear the train blasting its horn at night. I cannot imagine what it is like to live right next to the crossing!
So if you live near the tracks, yeah it can be noisy. Still better than living near a very busy highway because traffic on a highway is a near constant noise while trains are occasional. But if you live near a actual crossing that is a whole different ballgame and the noise is very noticeable at night for some reason.
It really depends on the space to the house and your tolerance for noise (resale will be affected as well). I worked in a building right near the line further east for years (less then 100 yds from my desk to the line) and most of the time hardly noticed the trains. I also have a friend who lives right near the tracks in Clinton, his house is a little noisier then my office was but livable. I have family that live in Windsor about 1/4 mile from the tracks, you really can't tell when amtrak goes by other then the horn at the station, but the freights make a weird rumble you can feel from that far away.
I would pass. I live about a mile and a half from the Danbury line, which is far less busy, and I can hear the horns and the rumble of the diesels, even from inside the house on occasion. Its not loud and it doesn't bother me, but I can't imagine living right next to the line.
I listen to a morning talk show in the New Haven area and the host bought a house in Branford a couple of years ago. The train passes directly at the back of his yard and I have heard him complain about the noise and he has stated his young children also say the train wakes them up. He said in the middle of the night a lot of trains pass by and he found out they were empty trains going east so they would be there for early-morning commuters. I live just over a mile from the tracks and late at night I heard the horns blowing.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
