(Quebec and Montreal) The REM is making too much noise in Griffintown, Pointe-Saint-Charles and L’Île-des-Sœurs, recognizes its owner, CDPQ Infra. The subsidiary of the Caisse de depot promises corrective measures to reduce the level of decibels which turns out to be higher than expected in certain places.
In interview at The Press, its CEO, Jean-Marc Arbaud, announces the addition of noise barriers, the installation of pieces along the railway line to absorb vibrations and grinding work on the tracks to make them smoother. According to him, these measures will not lead to a further postponement of the commissioning of the REM between Brossard and Montreal’s Central Station, scheduled for mid-August.
This is the first time that the CEO of CDPQ Infra has reacted to the discontent aroused by the noise of the passage of the REM. The trains are currently operating in “white running”, that is to say at a normal frequency, but without passengers.
ARCHIVE PHOTO FLORIAN LEROY, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
The CEO of CDPQ Infra, Jean-Marc Arbaud
Measures taken last week by The Press, with a sound level meter, had shown that the noise generated by the REM regularly exceeds 70 decibels, sometimes even the 75 mark, in Pointe-Saint-Charles in particular. These figures exceed the thresholds deemed acceptable by Public Health, which greatly worries residents.
“We are very sensitive to the situation brought by all the residents and we take the file very seriously”, says Jean-Marc Arbaud. “It is absolutely necessary to consider the problem and make improvements. »
CDPQ Infra is carrying out its own tests to measure the noise caused by the passage of the REM in five areas in the territories of Griffintown, Pointe-Saint-Charles and L’Île-des-Sœurs, where anger is brewing. She does not want to disclose the results for the moment or give an overview of the number of decibels reached in the neighborhoods concerned. His conclusions, however, are clear.
The observations we make with the tests are that there are certain areas where we are not satisfied with the result […]. In some places, we have overruns compared to what we had planned and therefore potentially compared to certain regulations.
Jean-Marc Arbaud, CEO of CDPQ Infra
He thus suggests that the REM does not respect, at certain times and in certain places, the regulations of the Government of Quebec which are imposed on it. As The Press As already explained, this regulation allows the REM to add a number of decibels that varies according to the level of ambient noise. The calculation is based on an average increase in noise over a 24 hour period.
“We don’t want there to be any overruns of the rules imposed on the REM. Today, there are adjustments to be made so that there are none. And we want it to be settled, ”says Jean-Marc Arbaud. He undertakes to “do better than the regulations imposed on the REM”.
It does not go into detail on decibel levels. “I’m not debating where are we going to stop. For us, there is a situation, there is something that is disturbing. Is it plus 1 or plus 3, minus 1 or minus 2? That’s not the real issue. The real challenge is to improve as much as possible and to provide a quality system. »
If the level of decibels exceeds the forecasts of CDPQ Infra in certain places, it is among other things because “the environment has moved” since the launch of the project, according to Mr. Arbaud. In Griffintown, “there are buildings that weren’t there at the start of the project,” he pleads. On Peel, the City of Montreal has removed an automobile traffic lane to install its Express Bike Network. This reduced ambient noise, but at the same time reduced CPDQ Infra’s leeway to increase the volume with its REM.
“It really worries us”
“From the first complaints”, CDPQ Infra “mobilized a team of multidisciplinary experts” to look into the noise caused by the REM, argues Jean-Marc Arbaud. “We went looking for Europeans to solve problems,” he insists. “It really concerns us and we do everything we need in terms of skills, studies and resources to bring the right solution to each sector. »
For the moment, noise barriers have been installed on only 0.9 of the 16 kilometers of the section of the first phase of the REM between the South Shore and downtown Montreal. Eventually there will be more. “To be sure that we are really respecting our commitments and that we are achieving quality, we have launched the preliminary design of noise barriers,” announces Jean-Marc Arbaud.
Without specifying the length, CDPQ Infra mentions the construction of walls in the three sectors where the problem is the most important (Griffintown, Pointe-Sainte-Charles and L’Île-des-Sœurs). Analyzes are in progress.
CDPQ Infra will also install “dynamic absorbers” on the rails, parts used to reduce vibrations and therefore noise. “We have already ordered some urgently to install them within 8-10 days over 240 meters to be able to measure the impacts exactly”, specifies Mr. Arbaud. “We even took a pre-order to be able to cover the entire distance between L’Île-des-Sœurs and Central Station. We will be able to do that as soon as possible. »
Finally, CDPQ Infra will purchase the machines needed to grind the rails. “It’s to make the surface as smooth as possible to reduce the noise that is linked to roughness,” he explains. The squealing of the train will thus be reduced. “It’s a parameter that is hard to imagine, but it is a really important parameter. It’s quite technical and it also requires trial and error. »
These measures will not all be in place when the REM is put into service. They will be the subject of an announcement during which the timetable will be specified. And what will be the bill for these patches? “We are not here to talk about the cost, answers Jean-Marc Arbaud. That’s not the issue. The challenge is to correct. »
CDPQ Infra does not intend to modify the number of trains or the frequency of their passages in order to reduce noise at certain times of the day. The REM will be in service 20 hours a day. It will run every two and a half minutes at peak times with four cars; every five minutes the rest of the day (two cars at night). With the measures announced, “there must be a significant reduction effect” in the noise level, argues Jean-Marc Arbaud. “Now a train is a motorized system. You won’t be able to make it completely silent. »
Well received in the community
The announcement of upcoming patches to reduce the noise of the REM was quick to react on Wednesday in the main districts concerned, where mobilization had been high for a few weeks already. Some, however, remain on their guard.
At the Corporation de développement de Pointe-Saint-Charles Action-Gardien, which has been increasing its outings for several months with residents of the area to demand measures to reduce noise in the neighborhood, we immediately welcome the opening of the Caisse de deposit, while remaining cautious for the future.
“It’s positive, first of all, that they see that there are indeed problems, but we are waiting to see. We will follow all this with great interest to see if what is proposed is sufficient in the weeks to come. Eventually, we will do a survey again to see if people are satisfied, or if, on the contrary, they would like more measures, ”explained his spokesperson, Simon Paquette, on Wednesday.
However, he wonders “what is the process that led to these choices” by CDPQ Infra.
We wonder if they will take these measures everywhere on the network or if they will just be in reaction to certain neighborhoods where it is currently having an impact. There are other neighborhoods that could soon have the same effects, so it’s also a matter of fairness.
Simon Paquette, spokesperson for the Pointe-Saint-Charles Development Corporation Action-Gardien
He recalls that several citizens have demanded in recent weeks that the Caisse assess the possibility of erecting a station in Pointe-Saint-Charles, but above all, of reducing the speed of trains in curves. “We recently noticed that the trains sometimes go slower, so we still wonder if these are tests that are being done in this direction. We really see that there is an effect, that it is less noisy when it goes slower, ”illustrates the spokesperson.
At Trajectoire Québec, general manager Sarah Doyon agrees. “Each improvement to make the REM quieter and therefore more acceptable to local residents should be welcomed positively. In an ideal world, of course it would have been done from the start, but it’s normal for there to be learning in a project like that, ”she reasons.
“If we manage to make air transport not too noisy for local residents, it’s a good thing for possible public transport projects”, adds Mme Doyon, who especially calls CDPQ Infra for “more transparency” to prevent as much as possible “the discrepancy that there may be between promises and reality, which often fuels frustration and skepticism” in the face of the project.
Mayor Valérie Plante argued on Wednesday that the REM “must achieve the highest standards in terms of sustainable mobility infrastructure”. “We are delighted to see CDPQ taking additional measures to limit noise pollution from the REM for local residents. The protective measures that will be in place were an important condition for the success of the project and we salute the vigilance of CDPQ,” said its press officer, Catherine Cadotte.
“Listening is there and the measures they take are those that should be taken,” judge for his part the specialist in transport planning, Pierre Barrieau. “Now, what remains would be the creation of a joint monitoring committee with Montreal, Brossard, CDPQ and the people from the ministry to carry out continuous monitoring during the first two years of operation. Generalizing these measures elsewhere, too, will be the sinews of war, ”he concludes.