Residents sign petition against TGV noise of 85 dB
Residents and councillors along the Paris-Rennes TGV route are petitioning against noise from the high-speed train, which is said to reach up to 85 decibels (dB).
This level is comparable to standing directly under a flight path as a 737 aeroplane takes off.
Over 400 signatures have been gathered in a petition against the noise, from locals living and working near the train line, across three departments - Sarthe, Mayenne, and Ille-et-Vilaine - and 57 communes.
Residents allege that dB levels regularly surpass the levels set out in the rules of the managing train company Eiffage, which should limit sound ‘nuisance’ to 60 dB.
Around 40 to 50 TGVs pass by each day, with one every 12 minutes at peak times, including late at night and early in the morning.
The vibrations caused by the trains are also said to be aggravating, with residents saying to French that they cannot sleep thanks to the noise and movements.
A campaign addressing the excess noise and vibration has been announced, which is expected to demand solutions at 100 of the worst ‘black spots’ along the route, but Eiffage has hit back against the claims, saying that it has respected the noise rules.
