Metropolitan Express Network | “Noise is everywhere, all the time”

They were promised an “imperceptible” light train, but they say they are entitled to an “aggressive, all the time” sound. The Réseau express métropolitain (REM), which began its final phase of testing on Wednesday, at certain times exceeds the thresholds deemed acceptable by Public Health in terms of noise, was able to confirm The Pressa situation that greatly worries some local residents.

“It’s really aggressive,” drops François-Marie Bertrand, who lives on rue Favard, very close to the railway facilities, in Pointe-Saint-Charles. “We hear it all the time, forwards, backwards, to the side, in the yard, even at the grocery store. Noise is everywhere, all the time,” he insists. “It’s haunting to hear it constantly, in everything we do. We are forced to live with the windows and doors closed in the middle of summer, ”breathes his spouse Yolande Racine, at his side.

Measurements taken on Wednesday with a sound level meter revealed that the noise generated by the REM regularly exceeds 70 decibels, sometimes even the 75 mark. This is the case at the Pointe-Saint-Charles observation belvedere and at the Saint-Patrick, on the border of the same district and Griffintown. These two places are respectively 300 meters and barely a few tens of meters from the rails, with residential areas behind them.

According to the Ministry of Health, exposure to noise is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease “from a level of 55 decibels over a 24-hour period”.

“Prolonged exposure to loud noises”, i.e. more than 75 decibels for 8 hours a day, can “cause hearing loss”, notes the Ministry, specifying that sleep can “be disturbed by a noise of 40 decibels “.

During rush hour, the REM will run every two and a half minutes. The rest of the day it will be every five minutes. It will be in operation 20 hours a day, every day. It has been running at this rate since Wednesday, the “blank run” having officially been launched to run the train at its normal frequency for a month, before the inauguration. The train should be open to users no later than mid-August.

A significant mobilization

For months, many residents have been mobilizing to urge CDPQ Infra to adopt mitigation measures. A web survey conducted by the Corporation de développement de Pointe-Saint-Charles Action-Gardien with 250 respondents concluded that “almost all” of citizens, or 83 to 95% of them depending on the sector, say disturbed by the noise of the REM, both inside and outside.

“We really need to do serious noise studies,” notes the coordinator of Action-Gardien, Karine Triolet. “The first step, for us, is to take into account the complaints and denunciations of citizens,” she maintains.

His group especially wants to see “real” mitigation measures, which could have concrete impacts from day 1. “Is there a possibility of noise barriers, of operations on the rails? We are not experts, but we want answers to our questions. We want people to listen to us, to be able to discuss, ”adds M^me Triolet, also evoking the possibility of an additional station in the district which would contribute to slowing down the trains.

Answers in August

In May, CDPQ Infra announced that sound tests would be carried out in Griffintown, Pointe-Saint-Charles and L’Île-des-Sœurs to determine if mitigation measures can be taken.

An email sent earlier this week to residents reads: [L’objectif] is to get back to you during the month of August with the conclusions of our campaign, the measures that will be put in place if necessary and the timetable for their deployment. The first results of the tests will be known internally “within a few weeks and will make it possible to identify even more precisely the various sources of noise emission”, can we read there.

The spokesperson for CDPQ Infra, Marc-André Tremblay, specifies that “the process includes several stages: collection, analysis of data and evaluation of various optimizations”. “These steps are essential to ensure the rigor and sustainability of this approach,” he maintains.

“The problem will reverberate”

Patrick Garon, a father living on rue Bourgeoys, wonders how CDPQ Infra could respond to the concerns of citizens. “When there are four trains, it’s even noisier, so could we consider reducing to two trains for certain periods, or even reducing the speed? asks the Montrealer.

An active member of the citizen committee Nous et les trains since the 1990s, resident Jocelyne Bernier is not losing her temper either. “They didn’t deliver what was promised. They told us that the electric would be silent. There, what we see is metal on metal. And it’s noisy, very noisy,” she notes.

The MP for Saint-Henri–Sainte-Anne, Guillaume Cliche-Rivard, confirms that the problem is acute. “We’re not against the REM, not at all, but yes, my office has been receiving four or five emails a day for several weeks from people who wake up at night and don’t sleep. There are people for whom daily life is perilous because of noise, he notes. The Caisse de depot must come and sit down and talk to the citizens. Anger, it is there and it rises. »

“I rely heavily on CDPQ to respond to citizens’ concerns and propose solutions,” said Mayor Valérie Plante on Wednesday.