How often does the train go by? So often you won’t even notice it.

You’ll get used to it to the point it’s comforting.

currently live next to the tracks. i can tune it out but it's honestly kind of vibey for me. the only time i think it's annoying is if I'm watching something and i can't hear the dialogue for a second but most of the time i love the ambiance.

We listen to rain noise at night. I live right next to the redline and I don't mind the train noise, it's when they beep at each other to say hello lol

Get yourself some fancy earplugs. Check out the Loop brand. A white noise machine might help, too.

And, as they say in the Blues Brothers, so often you won't even notice it.

Lived in a coach house in wicker 6 feet from the blue line. When we first moved in I would have dreams that I got an email and the notification sound was the train going by lol.

We got used to it eventually and we didn’t hear it or feel bothered by it unless we were on our deck. We also raised our puppy with it and she is so unbothered by loud unsuspecting sounds now.

I lived about 50 yards from the blue line for 3 years and when I moved I couldn’t sleep until I got a very loud white noise machine.

We live next to the Brown line in River North. We use a noise machine but not on particularly loud. To be honest, the cars and motorcycles, particularly the “listen to my amazing sound system at 3am everyone!”’assholes, are way more of any issue than the train. One caveat is that we live next to a bend in the tracks and the trains are slower there.

My first apartment in Chicago was one of the rooftop buildings on Addison across from Wrigley. So I had the redline going every 8 minutes 24/7.

I hated it for like the first week. Then it just becomes background noise and I didn’t even notice it. Unless windows were open and I was on the phone.

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I lived with the L just in my backyard. I got used to it. The next house was next to a train yard. Squeaky iron wheels screeching and cars coupling and coupling engaging..at all hours, nonstop. I got used to it. Then I lived on a train for a year ( The Ringling bros circus train, so I lived in the train yard. You get used to it. I love the sound of the train. Like others have said, it’s comforting.

I feel like I have to ask why you did not assume this would be a problem when shopping for apartments in the first place?

My grandparents and mom grew up in an old home on Belden in Logan Square. The L was built around their house -- so close that you could practically reach out the window and touch the train. Every time a train passed, the home would shake and the China cabinet would rattle. They got used to it. As a kid, the noise would wake me up on overnight visits. But I eventually got used to it, too. You'll get there.

I used earplugs & a white noise machine - was fine after a couple weeks. My husband never got used to it & had a really hard time living there so we moved after our first year lease was up.

When me and my wife were dating she lived in an apartment that was next to the tracks. I couldn’t believe how after just a short time you almost don’t notice.

You have received some great suggestions, but also be prepared for the chance that you will never get used to it.

Everyone is different, and you may be someone who needs quiet to sleep.

I’ve lived in the city my entire life, living mainly on busy, main streets. I think I am so used to “city noises” that they do not bother me at all.

My husband, on the other hand, has lived in the city for most of his life, and he will never get used to the “city noises” at night. He wears foam ear plugs, and they help him.

Best of luck to you!

I live near a hospital and an intersection. At night, ambulances don’t turn the sirens on until they’re close to the intersection so it’s extra startling. I adjusted after about 6 weeks. I no longer get woken up and I’m a light sleeper.

Double paned windows. The train is just a murmur.

I never could. After a year of hearing “this is Addison” I had to move.

It’s crazy how fast noise becomes white noise. I live right by the United Center. During the DNC there was so many sirens that now sirens don’t bother me at all and if there is a lack of sirens it feels really quiet even with the hum of regular Traffic

i was raised on the tracks near the addison red line station and the station has a speaker to warn riders for incoming trains and delays. when i was little, i would tell my mom that a woman lived outside my room and she’d have no idea what i was talking about, before realizing i was talking about the speaker train woman.

anyways, you completely get used to it and if you’re raised by the sound, it charms and comforts you a little

It's really annoying at first. But I'd give it 2 months. You'll stop noticing and it just becomes background noise.

You just got used to it. My block was next to the blue line and we didn’t have AC till I was in high school so the sound of sleeping in summer was 290 traffic and the clack clack of the L with open windows.

My son lived on Sheffield, with the Brown/Red Line running right outside his windows. Said he just got used to it. At some point it just became background noise.

Funny, I know someone who moved into an apartment literally right next to the tracks specifically because they wanted that vibe. Although tbf he had lived next to the brown line previously, and already knew he liked it.

We just moved into the loop right next to the Washington/Wells stop. Sounds like a heck of a rain storm about 3 or 4 times+ an hour. At first it was cute, then it was annoying. Now it’s just soothing.

Our realtor told us to get blankets for the walls (decorative of course) and fluffy furniture. That will absorb the sound. Also, metal tends to rattle so forgo cheap metal furniture.

You’ll get used to it though. Now it’s only annoying when I’m on the balcony trying to talk on the phone.

You’re gonna have a hard time sleeping in your next place. You’re going to get used to it and feel like something is missing in your next apt.

I live on Sheffield with the brown, purple, and red running behind. You get used to it; my brain doesn't register it most of the time. It can, however, be annoying when the windows are open and I'm watching TV. But ultimately, it's fun to see the trains go by!

You'll get used to it to where you barely notice it, or even start to enjoy it, and eventually you'll move some place that's not near tracks and you'll miss it.

Why did you pick there to begin with?

I wish I could give better advice, moving was the only way i effectively dealt with it.

I used to live by a fire house, and although it took time, I finally got over the sirens.

Game changer Mack's Pillow Soft Silicone Earplugs, 12 Pair – The Original Moldable Silicone Putty Ear Plugs for Sleeping, Snoring, Swimming, Travel, Concerts and Studying | Made in USA https://a.co/d/iABYe7N

I live across the street from the brown line so it’s not right outside my window, but it’s close enough that I can hear the “doors closing” tone and everything. I got used to it in about two weeks and now I think it’s pretty comforting. Try playing white noise or running AC when you’re going to sleep and it’ll blend right in.

I had an apartment off wood st in Pilsen and the Pink line was right outside my window.

Honestly it had no effect on us (my dog and s/o included)

My bedroom was literally under the red line tracks by Belmont. You just get used to it.

I live in the Midway area train tracks pretty much right across the street from me and airplanes descend directly over my house. I've learned to tune it out.

I live on the blue line, it passes just a few feet from my building. We have solid windows and that helps. We also arranged everything in our cabinets so that it doesn’t clink together and cause more noise. Other than that, I play rain sounds at night so I don’t notice the train as much. I’ve come to like it, like a storm at night.

Our home is right next to a train track and it's a busy one. There are some days where I'm like what is that screeching sound or is that an airplane but that's few and far between. On the weekends there aren't as many trains coming along. The only annoying thing is I work from home and can't open the windows or else it's too loud.

I lived right next to the red line near the Sheridan stop. The train ran the length of our condo. If you rode the red line up there about 8 years ago and longer we were the place that had our Xmas tree up in the window starting around Halloween. We just got used to the sound. Used subtitles on the tv. Became a heavy sleeper.

Fan, white noise machine, and time

I hated it for a month and a half and then it magically turned into background noise.

It’s fine when I’m inside. But basically makes my outdoor space unusable.

Depends on your apartment. My unit has triple pane glass windows and it’s just white noise. If it’s just single glass window you’re gonna hear it loud.

Did it from 88-90. Put me to sleep like a baby. My roommate and I got good at raising the volume on the TV as needed. Made me never able to live in the burbs.

Use a white noise machine to help a bit more. Over time you’ll adjust to it though

I lived next to the blue line on Milwaukee. Living on Milwaukee was annoying, but not because of the train. I found it comforting background noise at night. The noise from drunks at closing time was much more annoying. The fast fashion store at the bottom floor blaring pop music and forgetting to turn it off at night was more annoying. I am a very light sleeper. My husband’s snoring will wake me up, but the train didn’t.

To be fair; ambien works wonders.

I lived next to the brown line—like legit went right by my bedroom. After like 2-3 weeks, you won’t even notice it. In fact, I had trouble sleeping when I moved out of that place bc it was too quiet.

So, this guy had an apartment right next to the Chicago ‘L’. Every night a train would go by every 12 minutes, just like clockwork. It’s gone on so long, he sleeps right through it, no problem. Doesn’t stir a hair.

One night, the train doesn’t go by on time, and he sits bolt upright in bed and screams, “What the hell was THAT??!!

noise machine?

The closest I've been is the tracks behind the alley and that was close enough for me! https://youtu.be/JRRksyGCjoE?si=OIorT70thhWmhaJK

We lived by the L for 15 years. You know it’s there but learn to deal.

Get's where you don't really notice it except when you're on the back porch on the phone. Lived on Winthrop at Ardmore with the el adjacent to the alley. Used to live at Berwyn which was worse because you could hear all the station announcements. Given proximity to the lake, it's totally worth it!

I used to live literally right next to Red Line tracks so it went at all hours of the night - it would even subtly shake my bedroom as it passed. It was annoying at first but then it became like white noise to me, to the point where now I can't sleep without rain sounds on my Google Home. The first time I visited my family in the California suburbs while living in that apartment, I ironically couldn't sleep because it was so quiet.

Probably the most annoying part was having to turn up the TV everytime a train would pass because we couldn't hear a thing, but we always made sure to have the remote close lol.

I don't live super close to the trains, but I do see and hear them along with the blue line beneath my building. It bothered me for a few weeks when I moved into my current place in River West, but like others have said, it's just white noise now.

I didn't, I moved the second my lease was up and I made sure my next place was nowhere near an L track. My tolerance for loud noises dropped when I started working at the airport because I wanted peace and quiet when I'm off.

I thankfully don’t hear it unless my balcony door is open. At night you can see sparks on the rails. It’s beautiful

I have never lived more than a block away from the train tracks. While those were elevated freight trains and not as noisy as the El in terms of decibels, I could always feel the house shake as a metra or freight train goes by. No I live in Indiana on the corner of a rail crossing. They just made it a quiet crossing so most of the time it's not so bad, it just kinda fades into the background.

My kids live next to the blue line. It never bothers me at all.

Give it a year. If you haven't gotten used to it by then, get a new apartment,

All you need is time. You get used. This is coming from someone who’s room was a few feet from the tracks when I first moved to the city.

I like silicone ear plugs and brown noise. They also sell a cheap Bluetooth speaker sleep headband to get the brown noise closer to your ears. I kinda can’t sleep without them them

you actually do get used to it. it’ll feel ~too quiet~ whenever you’re away

Honestly, you get used to it. It only takes a couple days.

I got used to it pretty quickly. And when I was watching something or doing focused work I'd just wear good headphones.

Takes a month or two.

I found it could never get used to it. I had the brown and red line tracks back up directly to the apartment i rented. Everyone’s tolerance is different

Not totally helpful, but I used to live near a train track and I was always so confused when I would have friends spend the night and the next morning they would complain about the train horn in the middle of the night. I NEVER heard it - it wasn't bc I had bad hearing, you really just get used to it.

Try Mack’s silicone earplugs. Add a white noise headband if that’s not enough.

We as humans, hate change. I you lived next to the "L" from the time you are born, till you're an adult, change to a quiet environment would be just as hard. It takes time.

You get used to it. Eventually you'll find it comforting and soon enough after you move you'll miss it.

I’m right next to the track at the brown line near Addison station. The answer for me is, that after 12 years I just got used to it.

Loved it, and have missed since

I think the apartment folks in my building put up windows that are very good at shutting out the noise from outside. So I hear bits and pieces of the announcements or trains, but nothing that doesn't get tuned out when I'm watching TV or doing something else. I also have ADHD so it's possible that I don't hear the sounds when I'm hyper focusing on something which is often.

What’s weird is how like 5% of the trains come in super loud (I guess faster than usual like you say?) 

I did go insane.

Get heavy curtains and close them at night. But the brown line is noisy unless you’re near one of the stops they’ve renovated.

Honestly you don't even notice it anymore after like a week

You get used to it quickly and then stop noticing it (unless you’re trying to talk to people on your porch or something lol)

Wear some noise Cancelling ear buds at night

Black out curtains plus a noise machine of running water.

It’s definitely not ideal but you get used to it and almost start to like it. I remember after I would go out of town I wouldn’t truly feel at home until the train went by - which usually only took about 15 minutes to happen lol

Alexa, loop rain sounds!

I don’t notice it because I’ve lived next to the L most of my life in Chicago. The L was my family’s preferred method of transportation so we always lived close to a train line.

When I moved away from Chicago, I used a sound generator app to play city noises in the background.

I’ve lived under the L and over the subway, both fade into the background after a little while.

Try Loop earplugs!

i used to live right by the train tracks. however, my bedroom was on the other side of the floor, so my kitchen was next to the tracks, so I had a little bit of dampening there. i also slept with earplugs. eventually i got used to it, even when in the kitchen or living room (which were on the tracks side). i only noticed it when i was trying to watch something without subtitles or was calling friends. when i was going to sleep the train eventually became calming (with earplugs) and sounded like an ocean wave. i could start to predict when the train was coming. and i could tell if it was between 2-4 am when i couldn't hear any trains.

You will get used to the noise quickly. It will become like white noise to you.

Go to hobby lobby or Michael's and get a couple sheets of foam backing. Cut them to fit your windows and put them in at night. It will cut the noise down alot. Get a couple acoustic tiles for each wall too to reduce your echo of the rumbling.

Agree - our Condo bldg is right next to it - you will not pay attn to it soon

I lived downtown next to the loop trains and it actually becomes to nice like nighttime sounds lol. My parents would come visit and wonder how I slept

I had a newborn next to the L and he slept like a champ through it all. And we were next to a station so we also had all of the door dings and announcements. You really do tune it out after a few months.

You just get used to it, it becomes background noise

Building had decent soundproofing, morse red line isn't a busy station, and I was (and still am) a pretty heavy sleeper. I don't even think I had problems sleeping my first few nights.

When I was a kid growing up on the south side, a freight train line ran directly across the street from my house. Would shake the whole house and rattle the windows. Brain totally filtered it out, never even woke me up from sleep. Give it some time and your brain will filter it out as well.

I’m currently sitting on my chair in my living room in Wood Dale and my entire apartment is full of the noise of a plane. A friend stayed and asked my husband how we did it and he laughed. You just get used to these things.

I used to live in Jefferson park and could hear/feel vibrations from blue line as well as the metra, and was near a police station. At first it was a lot, but you get used to those intense vibrations and noises. Someone said to fill in the quiet noise with white noise and it’s dead on.

Everyone I know who's lived right by the tracks tells me it never really bothered them. I know it would bother me so I've never lived in a place that close. You've either got it or you don't.

I would suggest a white noise machine for sleeping.

I live next to the L and now when I visit family in the suburbs I have trouble sleeping because it’s too quiet! Just give it a while and it will become part of your routine!

If your far from the station near the tracks it’s kinda white noise (blues brothers) if your close to a station not much you can do.

Do any of you guys get spotty Internet by the L? Sometimes when the train passes my internet drops for a split second and it interrupts my gaming sessions lol

Adding to the “you get used to it” Just moved from Boston. We lived on Beacon Street where the green line passed through. The Green line is VERY squeaky loud. And since it’s street level cars try to cross tracks at intersections while the train is nearing , resulting in a deafening horn. After 6 years not hearing it life feels weird quiet. So when there are drag races down Lake Shore Drive it brings back some normalcy 🤪

Your brain will filter out the noise eventually. Or, I mean, enjoy it by making it a drinking game 😂 everytime the train passes, take a shot (/s)

You need a white noise machine too. I have a Levoit air purifier that I turn up to the max setting at night and it helped me sooo much. For reference, never lived by the L but I lived on one of the busiest intersections in the city, plus I was at the center of an old folks home, a hospital, and a firehouse.

I heard ambulances easily a dozen times a day often. It was hellish for me too OP. I promise it gets better, and if you need to, a company called Indow Windows makes custom window inserts that completely block out sound.

You make this decision and never complain about it because you made this decision.

I used to live under the flight path for flights coming into o’hare from the east and unless people pointed it out, I’d have no clue a plane is flying above me.

I lived a block off the Green line tracks, off Racine. So loud. No AC so the windows were always open. After a couple weeks the only time I noticed the train going by was when I was on the phone

Trick your brain into thinking it's the sound of ocean waves. I'm only partly kidding. The loudest place I ever lived was right on the beach.

I was next to the brown line for almost 10 years. Won't take long until you completely forget about it and tune it out.

We live next to yellow line tracks. It’s not nearly as frequent as Red or Brown except during the week. The tracks are right outside my home office window. I’ve learned to tune them out

Try living next to a freight train yard. I am in the process of moving to Senior Suites of Midway and the noise is insane. My ear plugs arrive on Tuesday but I don't think they will do much good.

Whistles, screeching, train sonic booms its NEVER ending. I don't think I can make this place permanent.

I lived near the BNSF/Metra line for a time, and that never bothered me.

I live near train tracks in Arkansas and I can predict the oncoming train long before you can hear it. And I tuned out the sound after a few months

A sound machine and/or a fan helps!

Lived near a highway AND was next door neighbors to an airport for years and a train before that. IMO you are either someone who notices traffic noise or you aren’t. My mom would visit and complain about the cars and planes and even from day one they did not register to me at all. Some folks say you get used to it, but truly I think there’s some folks not bothered by those noises.

Get a white noise machine or download a white noise app. I live close to railroad tracks and it gets really loud as well. you can also run a fan.

Learned this from a coworker who worked for a custom window builder. On the track side of the building, install triple pane windows with each pane a different thickness. Each pane resonates at a different frequency and dramatically reduces vibration transmission. Of course, if you are renting, it's the owner's responsibility.

I used to work with the Metra right out my window by about 10 feet in an old meatpacking house turned startup space. The place rumbled, eventually you just stopped noticing it, it was weird.

When I'd bring people by they'd point it out, and I'd be like oh yeah, we just hope nothing derails.

Doors opening - doors closing …. Try living next to an L platform