The REM has not yet transported its first passenger and already an important question arises: is it too noisy?
Residents of Griffintown, Pointe-Saint-Charles and Île des Sœurs complain of noise from the new Réseau express métropolitain (REM), owned by the Caisse de depot et placement du Québec (CDPQ), which conducts tests without passengers for weeks.
The Caisse says it wants to be an “exemplary neighbor”. “We are here for the next 100 years. One of our principles is to be an exemplary neighbour, a neighbor who creates value and not inconvenience for local residents,” says Harout Chitilian, Vice-President, Corporate Affairs, CPDQ Infra, a Caisse subsidiary. which is the majority owner of the REM.
We welcome this intention of the REM to be an “exemplary neighbor”.
The problem is that not everyone has the same definition of “exemplary neighbour”.
For now, CDPQ Infra, which conducts noise tests following complaints from residents, only undertakes to take corrective measures if the noise from the REM exceeds the threshold permitted by provincial noise regulations, which applies to the REM (the provincial decrees of the REM).
In short, the Caisse is committed to respecting the law, period. In our opinion, this is very far from sufficient.
An “exemplary neighbour” does more than respect the law. It goes the extra mile to reduce noise in the neighborhoods it serves. Especially since the noise decree that applies to the REM is not particularly severe1. That noise is a public health issue (see capsule). And that ambient noise in Griffintown is already slightly above the WHO recommendation of 55 decibels (dB) during the day.
There are several ways to reduce the noise of the REM: add sound barriers, do extra maintenance, add rubber parts or extra oil on the tracks2. The cost of these adjustments will be minimal on a project of at least 6.9 billion. And the enormous benefits for the quality of life of Montrealers and Longueuil residents.
How loud is the REM? We tried to answer the question in an approximate way, by going to measure the noise near the REM in the Peel basin last Wednesday at the end of the afternoon with a mobile application. At two locations in Peel Basin in Griffintown, one with a noise barrier (at the corner of Peel and Smith streets), the other without a noise barrier (next to the bike path near the Wellington Bridge).
Our little experience is certainly not worth the professional tests that CDPQ Infra is doing3 and promised to make it public, but it gives a little idea.
Without a noise barrier near the Wellington Bridge, the noise goes from an average of 56 dB (ambient noise without the REM) to 77.5 dB during the passage of the REM for 36 seconds, according to our measurements. This is an increase of 21.5 dB.
To give an idea, near the Wellington Bridge, the REM was noisier (maximum noise of 80 dB, including ambient noise) than the VIA Rail (75 dB) and exo (76 dB) trains. And the REM will run much more often – once every three and a half minutes at peak times.
At the second location, the one with a noise barrier (at the corner of Peel and Smith streets), the difference is significant: the noise drops on average from 58 dB (ambient noise) to 66.5 dB when the REM passes. That’s an 8.5 dB increase. The maximum noise reached by REM is then 69 dB.
Unsurprisingly, the REM is much less noisy with a sound barrier. Except that there are noise barriers on only 0.9 km of the 16 km of the first phase of the REM between the South Shore and the Central station (the one to be inaugurated this summer).
The provincial noise regulations that apply to the REM are not very strict. Basically, we calculate the average increase in noise over a 24-hour period, and we allow the REM to add a number of decibels (average over 24 hours) varying according to the level of ambient noise (the higher the ambient noise, the less one allows to add decibels).
According to our estimates (which are for information only), in the Peel Basin, the REM would in both cases fully comply with provincial regulations, which allow it to increase noise by 4 dB over an average of 24 hours. (With our measurements, we arrive at an increase of 2.1 dB without noise barrier and an increase of 0.5 dB with noise barrier, on an average of 24 hours4.)
However, we come back to the basic premise: doing the minimum required by provincial regulations does not make you an “exemplary neighbour”. Especially when the regulations are not particularly demanding.
At first glance, the noise barrier seems a particularly effective solution. CDPQ Infra should consider using it extensively. It’s more important to be an “exemplary neighbour” than to offer a good view to its users, who will have their noses on their phones or their books anyway! (How much does each kilometer of noise barrier cost? CDPQ Infra is unable to answer this question.)
We are impatiently awaiting the results of the official (and reliable) tests from CDPQ Infra, which will have to be exemplary in its transparency in this matter.
Everyone would breathe a sigh of relief if the big boss of the Caisse de dépôt, Charles Emond, committed loud and clear, right now, to CDPQ Infra reducing the noise of the REM as much as possible. Not that CDPQ Infra is content to do the minimum required by law.
We all want the REM to be a great success. For this to be the case, the REM will also have to be an exemplary neighbour.
Noise, a public health issue
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a living environment that is too noisy has “adverse effects on the well-being and health of individuals”5, including sleep disturbance and cardiovascular disease. The WHO recommends an average daily noise of less than 55 dB in urban areas. In general, an increase in noise over a short period (e.g.: 80 dB over 30 s) as with a public transport system is not harmful to health if the daily noise average remains below the recommendation of 55 dB, according to the Direction régionale de santé publique de Montréal, which is awaiting the results of the sound tests of the REM to decide specifically on the case of the REM.
Noise level scale
- 0 dB: hearing threshold
- 20 dB: sensation of great calm
- 40 dB: peaceful place
- 60 dB: normal conversation
- 80 dB: difficult conversation, feeling of loud noise
- 100 dB: bearable level for a short period (e.g.: a drill)
- 120 dB: unsustainable level (e.g. an ambulance)
- 140 dB: unbearable level (e.g. take-off of an airplane less than 50 m away)
Source: CDPQ Infra
1. This does not mean that the regulations are stricter elsewhere in Canada. In Ottawa, noise with the O-Train light rail cannot exceed 80 dB at any time. Without a sound barrier, the maximum REM noise in Griffintown reached a maximum of 80 dB for a few seconds, according to our estimate.
2. These are the suggestions of expert Pierre Barrieau, from the University of Montreal, in the context of an article written by our colleague Henri Ouellette-Vézina.
3. The regulations that apply to the REM do not require it to carry out these tests this spring before commissioning, but the Caisse has decided to be proactive, and that’s good.
4. We arrived at these estimates by calculating that the REM would pass every three and a half minutes during peak hours, every seven minutes during other times of the day, and would not pass four days a year.
5. Report noise and health from the Direction de santé publique de Montréal, published in 2017.