Exceeded by the noise, the inhabitants of a district of Annecy want to cut the whistle of the Léman Express
From her terrace, Anne has a direct view of the railroad tracks just before it disappears into a tunnel. “There are times when I am so surprised by the noise that I make connections on my terrace”, tells the one who has been renting an apartment for several years in one of the buildings of Petit Brogny in Annecy. “And in the neighborhood, everyone is complaining.” Wrath directed, not against the trains themselves, but against a very particular honk. “That of the Léman Express, explains the retiree. He’s a lot louder, a lot sharper than the others. “
Every fifteen minutes
Launched in December 2019, the Léman Express has changed travel between Haute-Savoie and the heart of Geneva. But obviously, this cross-border RER breaks the ears of the inhabitants of Petit Brogny. Jean has lived in the area since 2013. Trains had never bothered him until the arrival of the Léman Express. “His horn is much louder! And at peak times, it’s every fifteen minutes. “
European regulation
At Petit Brogny, Sophie Patin has taken the lead in the fight against this noise nuisance. Mother of a family, she wrote to the town hall of Annecy and to the SNCF. The latter replied by explaining that the train drivers were forced to honk when entering and exiting the tunnel. “It is even an obligation included in the European rail safety regulation”, specifies an official of the SNCF in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. “We just want to find some peace of mind”, prosecution Sophie Patin convinced that a solution can be found.
We really have the impression that the Léman Expess trains honk louder than the others. “- Sophie Patin, resident of the Petit Brogny district in Annecy