___________________________________________Ananova
Fleet of
Underground Train Carriages Will Form Artificial Reef in the Atlantic
NEW JERSEY -
A fleet of underground train carriages are being used to help form an
artificial reef in the Atlantic.
Four hundred carriages which operated on the New York subway for four
decades could eventually end up in the reef.
The site is about 15 miles south of Cape May, New Jersey.
"They served New York well," said Al O'Leary, a spokesman
for the city's transit system. "Now, in their second life, they're
going to be used to help rebuild a marine ecosystem on an otherwise
barren ocean surface."
The artificial reefs will help increase biodiversity, providing a protective
habitat for reef fish and invertebrates, said Jeff Tinsman, reef project
manager for Delaware's Division of Fish and Wildlife. They will also
expand recreational fishing and diving opportunities, he said.
Although other large items such as barges, military tanks, ships and
parts of bridges have been used to build reefs, this is believed to
be a first for such a large number of subway carriages.
The project has been approved by the National Marine Fisheries Service
and the Army Corps of Engineers. Before the cars are sunk, they will
be cleaned according to guidelines established by the US Coast Guard
and approved by the Environmental Protection Agency.
"All floatable materials will be removed. We'll clean off all
the grease and oil. There will be no doors, no windows, no rubber,"
Mr O'Leary said. "We want nothing washing up on any shores."
The Redbirds - painted dark red during a renovation years ago - are
being replaced by a new generation of high-tech cars that are brightly
lit, with electronic message boards and automated public address announcements.
click
here to return
to the NFTS main page
,mmmm,,Sign
The Petition 
