Many people living near the tracks of the REM train line to the South Shore complain the noise remains a major disturbance and is diminishing their quality of life.
“It’s absolutely very loud and is not comfortable,” Claudine Jean, a Montreal resident, told Global News.
Jean lives near the rail line to the South Shore and says the constant noise emanating from trains running 20 hours a day is annoying.
“Sometimes I have to close my window, it’s too loud in my bedroom,” Jean said.
REM officials are planning three public information sessions later this month to address some of the concerns of the residents and offer solutions.
But Jean questions the engineering behind designing and manufacturing an electric transit system that remains very loud.
“I cannot understand, in the 21st century, why it’s so noisy,” she said.
Lines to the West Island and off island are scheduled to come into service by the end of next year.
Some borough mayors are hoping REM officials have learned from their mistakes and can make adjustments before the trains start running through their neighbourhoods.
“Now that we know the impact that it’s had on the South Shore, for example, certainly, it’s not late enough for them to be able to implement some of these measures,” Jim Beis, the Pierrefonds-Roxboro borough mayor, told Global News.
The backyards of many homes in the western part of Montreal look out onto the elevated tracks.
Officials say now is the time to find solutions to the noise issues before the trains start running.
“We see what’s happened. We’re learning from it and we’re trying to position ourselves to make sure this doesn’t happen in our community,” Alan DeSousa, the Saint-Laurent borough mayor, told Global News.
People just hope REM officials can find fast solutions to bring the noise problems to a halt.
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