Advice please - buying flat near to train line

[FMartian]

Hi,

I found a lovely flat that ticks most of my boxes within good commuting distance of London. However, it is 15 metres away from the train line on the second floor of a newly converted Victorian building.

I went a couple of times to test the noise, but I am more worried about pollution - diesel fumes and brake dust getting into the flat continuously when the windows are open and potentially damaging my health in the long term. I'm also concerned about the overhead wires. I'd appreciate your advice on this.

The train line that runs next to the building is the London - Cambridge one, plus the Stansted Express. There is also one freight train per day, during the daytime, I was told.

 

[Bevan Price]

Hi,

I found a lovely flat that ticks most of my boxes within good commuting distance of London. However, it is 15 metres away from the train line on the second floor of a newly converted Victorian building.

I went a couple of times to test the noise, but I am more worried about pollution - diesel fumes and brake dust getting into the flat continuously when the windows are open and potentially damaging my health in the long term. I'm also concerned about the overhead wires. I'd appreciate your advice on this.

The train line that runs next to the building is the London - Cambridge one, plus the Stansted Express. There is also one freight train per day, during the daytime, I was told.

I would not think that brake dust should be a problem unless the flat is close to a station, or the start of a speed restriction. Asbestos is not now used.
You will probably get a lot more diesel fumes from surrounding roads than from an occasional diesel hauled freight train.

 

[skyhigh]

The vast majority will be electric services (as far as I'm aware) so I wouldn't worry too much about diesel fumes.

If the location isn't near a station or a location trains regularly slow there will be little brake dust.

There is absolutely nothing to be concerned with about the overhead wires.

 

[pokemonsuper9]

The vast majority will be electric services (as far as I'm aware) so I wouldn't worry too much about diesel fumes.

Yes all the passenger trains will be electric, with the few freight trains being diesel hauled.
There's also a number of freight trains running (Based out of Broxbourne).

 

[AndrewE]

The overhead wires are absolutely irrelevant in terms of health risk. As has been said above, there won't be asbestos, or much brake dust (electric braking saves the railway money) but I'm afraid there will still be iron dust from wheel and rail wear.
Whether this is any more or less than all the other microfine dust present from all the road traffic in the city I wouldn't know, but at least it is just iron compounds rather than the organic pollutants in the soot from diesel vehicles and cured rubber from tyre and tarmac wear.