A railroad controversy is rumbling through Enfield.

The repeated blare of train horns is now turning life upside down for folks along Parsons Road, especially Brian Lareau.

“It’s intolerable at this point,” Lareau said from his backyard overlooking railroad tracks. “Trains are going constantly. 24 hours a day.”

Lareau said the near-constant passing of trains shakes his whole house down to the foundation. The volume and frequency of trains used to be roughly 10 per day, Lareau explained. Now, he says, that has increased by triple thanks to the new Hartford Line passenger rail, Amtrak and freight.

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He believes the added rail traffic is making nearby homes for sale unattractive and causing his own home value to plummet. “It’s about $40,000-$50,000 below the estimated value due to the train volume,” he said.

To save his eardrums and cut down on train horns, Lareau petitioned the Federal Railroad Administration to make a stretch of tracks near his home a “quiet zone.” But town leaders would have to pay the estimated $1 million price tag. It was a proposal quickly shot down by the city manager. When we tried to reach Christopher Bromson to find out why, he refused comment.

The drama threatens to push out Lareau and others. “I’m at the point now where I almost would like, whether it be the town or Amtrak, to purchase my home,” Lareau concluded.

*Editor’s note: The Connecticut Department of Transportation states it is unsafe and unlawful to trespass on railroad tracks. The DOT urges all to avoid the tracks to prevent serious injury or death.