Pollution from trains parked in sidings in an Oxford suburb is making the lives of nearby residents and waterway users unbearable, they claim.
Mike Hamblett, who keeps a boat close to the Jericho sidings, said the fumes generated by engines running around the clock was spoiling the environment.
Oxford City Council is set to discuss the issue on Tuesday.
The city's environmental health officer said there was no evidence the fumes exceeded national air quality goals.
Mr Hamblett, 51, a retired civil engineer, said: "I spend most of my time around the canal and on the Thames. But this is ruined by trains that sit in the sidings with their engines running for anything between 20 minutes and an hour. This is wastage - it is not necessary running.
"Whenever you walk down the towpath or up the river, you are conscious that the air is being polluted."
Mr Hamblett, who lives in Summertown, says one resident has had triple glazing installed to drown out the noise, while others have their windows sealed at all times of the year.
Reduce levels
Oxford's Lord Mayor Susanna Pressel, a Labour member of the city council committee which is discussing the issue, said First Great Western had been "quite helpful" in putting up a sign reminding drivers to turn off their engines if they stand for more than 20 minutes.
First Great Western has said its engines need to run for at least 20 minutes before they pull away to ensure pressure levels are adequate for the brakes to work and for other safety checks to be carried out, she said.
Ms Pressel said the environmental health officer had also found there was "no evidence to suggest that exhaust fumes from trains in the Jericho sidings exceed the national air quality objectives for nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter".
Ms Pressel said she had received more complaints about noise rather than pollution.
"People who live close to the railway tracks are concerned about noise between 0500-0600 BST when the trains start up and keep their engines going for a long time," she said.
"If we can show that some of the noise is unnecessary and therefore the fumes are unnecessary, we should insist FGW reduces the levels."
Adrian Booth, a spokesman for First Great Western, said he could not comment on the Jericho issue, but added: "Doubtless we will be hearing from these people and we will take consideration of the details of concerns at that point."
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