Can you hear a train coming towards you?

“People assume that trains are loud, but that assumption is based on the fact that when a train's gone past them in a station it's noisy. That's because the noise a train makes is mainly projected to either side. When trains are moving directly towards you they are barely audible–until it's too late.”



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As the railway track is solid, the sound travels faster through the track than through air and a person can hear an approaching train .

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“People assume that trains are loud, but that assumption is based on the fact that when a train's gone past them in a station it's noisy. That's because the noise a train makes is mainly projected to either side. When trains are moving directly towards you they are barely audible–until it's too late.”

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What happens if you stand too close to a train? Air between person and the train moves with high velocity due to dragging effect and the air behind person is approximately still.

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By the time a train operator sees you, it is too late to stop the train in time. An oncoming train is moving faster and is closer to you than it appears. Similar to an airplane traveling at 150 mph that appears to float onto the runway, it's hard to determine a train's speed and distance from you.

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The phobia of train tracks generally hinges on two main concerns: the fear of accidentally being stuck on the tracks and the fear of being pushed.

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With a quiet background (countryside night time) 6–8 miles. Suburban, 2–3 miles. Loud city, 1 mile if you're listening for it.

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Noise pollution and vibrations are some of the biggest concerns, particularly for people who live within one-third of a mile of railroads or railyards, says Natalia Caldeira Loss Vincens, an expert in public health at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden.

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'Train' comes from a French verb that meant to draw; drag. It originally referred to the part of a gown that trailed behind the wearer. The word train has been part of English since the 14th century—since its Middle English days.

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It has been variously called train phobia, railroad phobia, dread of railway travel, etc. The German term Eisenbahnangst used, e.g., by Sigmund Freud was literally converted into Greek as siderodromophobia (Eisen = sideron = iron, Bahn = dromos = way, Angst = phobos = fear).

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The middle of the train is by far the safest for persons. The National Transportation Safety Board does not release comprehensive data on where victims were sitting during fatal train accidents, though some details are available in individual investigative reports.

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Fact #2: Railroad Tracks Are Private Property Walking on train tracks may seem like fun, but it's actually very dangerous, not to mention illegal. All train tracks are private property, so pedestrians should never walk on or near them.

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Federal regulators limit the speed of trains with respect to the signaling method used. Passenger trains are limited to 59 mph and freight trains to 49 mph on track without block signal systems. (See dark territory.)

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