> these trains are loud, and run basically from 4AM until 1AM every day

Not that bad actually. You get used to it and even if trains are frequent they don't need 10 minutes to pass by your home.

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ButlerianJihad 7 hours ago | parent | next [-]

I live in a unique community which is sandwiched between a public-transit light rail line, and a freight line as well.

The light rail can run a frequency of 12-20 minutes in each direction. The freight's schedule: who really knows?

But the freight train is generally inhibited from sounding its horn or bells near residential neighborhoods. So, unless I am really paying attention while awake, I cannot detect it passing by, no matter the size.

The light rail is audible from where I sit, usually, but only just. It toots the horn mostly as it passes, but it's not disruptive or annoying to me, anyway. I sort of enjoy the white noise it all makes. There are cars that do a lot worse.

I think that the architecture here is helpful, too. The buildings are clustered around a central courtyard, and really insulated from the road noise. At any given time, there may be folks splashing in the pool, or running the jets on the hot tub, anyway.

The light rail stations are a major convenience to living here, and the train noise is absolutely the least of our worries!

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timr 8 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

I've heard people say that, but I find it hard to believe. I think I'd go nuts. And sure, they don't take 10 minutes to pass, but the busy lines (like the Seibu line I mentioned) are running at least 2-3 trains every 10 minutes, so they might as well be continuous.

The houses built next to the crossing points, in particular, have always boggled my mind. BING BING BING BING BING....

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Liftyee 7 hours ago | parent [-]

I noticed when I visited Japan that the crossing chimes quieten once the barriers have fully lowered.

Just another example of Japanese attention to detail and human oriented design.

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timr 7 hours ago | parent [-]

Not where I am standing right now!

(I mean, maybe you’re right in some places, but it’s certainly not everywhere. Ironically, I happened to be standing next to a completely empty crossing, gates down, bonging away, while reading your comment.)

	▲	Tor3 6 hours ago \| parent [-]
		The nearest crossings where I live indeed stop the chimes when the barriers have been lowered. This doesn't actually make much of a difference really, because the train arrives only a few seconds after, and, because it's a local line, there are never more than three cars in the train so it passes very quickly. Not that I'm bothered by the chimes at all. And grandson loves them.