Residents of a complex of buildings on Île-des-Soeurs say they are inconvenienced by the frequent passage of the Réseau express métropolitain (REM) and are calling for the installation of a noise barrier upstream of the official start of light rail, in the coming months.
Jacques Côté’s building is located near a noisy highway that leads to Île-des-Soeurs. But he still hears the distinctive sound of the REM, which these days runs empty simulations between Brossard and downtown Montreal, in anticipation of the entry into service of this line by the end of spring. “We constantly hear the noise of REM cars, that’s the problem,” says Mr. Côté.
Already, the REM frequently passes through the center of Highway 10, where its cruising speed can reach 100 km/h, but the worst is yet to come in terms of noise impact, residents of Île-des-Soeurs fear. . There will be a light rail crossing every 3.5 minutes during peak hours on day 1 of commissioning, until reaching a crossing every 2.5 minutes in the long term, foresees CDPQ Infra, who is behind the REM project. The light rail will also be in operation 20 hours a day, which could disturb the sleep of some residents.
“We go to bed and we hear the roar of the REM […] It’s getting annoying,” says Charles Gref, who moved into his condominium on Île-des-Soeurs in 2019. “We’re anxious about the noise it makes,” adds the 62-year-old man.
noise wall
In this context, residents of a complex of buildings on Île-des-Soeurs began calling on the REM project manager to ask him to remedy this noise issue, for example by installing a noise barrier near buildings in question. They also plan to launch a petition to be heard.
“At the price that the REM costs, installing a wall that will reduce noise is not going to blow up the cash register,” says Charles Gref, who intends to continue to insist with officials to obtain better comfort. sound. “We must not let go of the carrot, make our representations, hoping that common sense will be expected,” he says.
Residents of Île-des-Soeurs also point out that the MELS studio, located in the Pointe-Saint-Charles district, has already had the right to a noise barrier that has been installed near its facilities in anticipation of entry into operation of the REM.
“When the REM plans were presented to us, it was noted that passengers could see the filming that would take place on the MELS property. In order to respect the confidentiality agreements concluded with the mega productions that use our facilities, we have therefore raised these points with the REM team”, explained in writing the team responsible for public affairs of the MELS studios. A noise barrier was then installed to respond to the concerns raised by this Montreal studio.
The advisor responsible for media relations for CDPQ Infra, Emmanuelle Rouillard Moreau, for her part indicated by email that several measures have been taken to limit the noise emitted by the passage of the REM. The main contractor of the project decided in particular to bet on welded rails “to avoid the recurring noise of shock between the wheel and the rail that there is usually on traditional railways”, indicates the spokesperson, while that the metal wheels of the REM are “specially treated” to limit the noise they generate.
“Once the REM is in service, a sound monitoring program will be put in place to ensure that the mitigation measures are effective and that the sound levels correspond well to the modelling,” adds the spokesperson. “If the monitoring reveals additional significant impacts, additional measures will be put in place”, such as the addition of noise barriers in certain places, she concluded.