Montrealers complaining about noise from new light-rail train network

Some Montrealers in Griffintown are voicing their complaints. They say the noise made by the city’s new light-rail train network or the REM is impacting their daily lives.

“Being woken up in the morning. It’s not is not pleasant. It’s not a good time,” said Geoffrey Stanley, Griffintown residents.

“I was enthusiastic about it at the beginning, especially with the promise that it would be the new technology, that it would be something that would be silent. But unfortunately, that’s not really what we got. I feel like we were sold false promises.”

Stanley says he informed CDPQ Infra which developed the REM of how loud the train network was when they began testing last year in November, in response he says he was dismissed.

“It runs 20 hours a day. It starts between five and 5:30 in the morning and runs all the way until one or 1:30 in the morning,” he explained. “I don’t open my doors or windows anymore when I’m indoors, like I, I can’t do it. It’s it’s too loud.”

Geoffrey Stanley (Photo Credit: Felisha Adam, CityNews)

The feeling is the same for Eddie Tkalec who is also a resident of Griffintown.

“We haven’t even sat on our balcony. Yet this year it’s that bad,” said Tkalec.

“Listening to these REMs going by for 20 hours a day. It wakes us up in the morning. Even with our windows close, it’s it’s really becoming very tolerable. As a citizen, it’s starting to affect our mental health.”

At the Lachine Canal, the REM runs right above the street, and the noise level made by the train when it goes by ranges from 75 to 90 decibels. Far higher than the 55 decibels recommended by the World Health Organization. All this right in distance of apartment buildings.

REM near Lachine Canal. (Photo Credit: Felisha Adam, CityNews)

For Natalie who lives on Peel she can hear the REM go by daily, and while she says it’s a part of living downtown, she can understand how it might impact some.

“I’m hearing the train from there,’ she explained. “For someone who likes more tranquility, it is no longer really the ideal place for them.”

Jean-Vincent Lacroix a spokesperson for CDPQ Infra says some measures have been put in place to counter the noise – including sound absorbers on the tracks – and that work will continue in certain areas that the REM runs that pose noise problems.

We have really three sensitive sectors in Ile De Soeurs, Griffin town, and Point St.Charles. So we’re really working on that three sectors and to kind of look up different solution that just want us mixed together to limit the noise as much as possible,” said Lacroix

But Stanley says, “I don’t think that these modifications they made into the tracks is going to be enough. Might have dropped it a few disciples. If it goes down to 75 DB, that’s too loud. I’m getting these 32 times an hour. So in my opinion, they can do a lot more.”