Subway Cars: From Factory to Ocean Floor

It's time for your annual subway reef moment of zen. Last November the Today Show gave us an up-close look at the watery graves that some subways will meet. Now the NY Times points out that tonight's National Geographic Ultimate Factories program visits a plant that produces the new subway cars, "telling us for almost an hour about all the welding and wiring and safety inspections that go into making the things." That's right, see the subway car that will inevitably cause you to be late for something, before it even hits the track, and way before it hits the surf.

There are plenty of interesting points made during the episode, like... the cars are made in Brazil, for instance. Following all of that, however, some catharsis as they show what happens when they reach the end of their line (after about 40 years in service). They get taken 20 miles off the Maryland coast, dumped in the ocean, and eventually create an artificial reef.

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By Jen Carlson in Arts and Events on November 12, 2009 2:34 PM

Comments [rss]

Tower18

It's only the shells/bodies that are made in Brazil. Assembly of all new cars occurs in either Hornell, NY, Plattsburgh, NY, or Yonkers, NY, depending on the exact car type.

Guav

NJ Suspends Subway Car Artificial Reefs:

"The state has halted a program to create an artificial fishing reef off Atlantic City by sinking old New York City subway cars underwater. State officials say an initial batch of about 100 cars that have been sunk so far are showing “unusual damage.” Divers from the NJ Marine Fisheries Administration have observed significant damage to several of the 35,000-pound, stainless steel cars which were supposed to maintain 90 percent of their structural integrity after 30 years. Some have apparently collapsed, despite being in the water less than a year."

grizzzly

City purchasing decisions, from pencils to subway cars, should be made with an emphasis to purchase locally (well, as locally as possible) produced goods rather than the cheapest stuff available (within reason.) Taxpayers do not get a good value by buying the flimsiest, least expensive version of something, and money is exported that our economy can use.

imadick

so... what do you do when the local option costs triple the unqualified lowball bid, and double the cheapest viable option?

24gotham

Perhaps if there was a local company that produced subway cars, they could be sourced locally. There hasn't been a company that produces subway cars in the US for a long time.

hotstepper

i just don't see how this is a good idea. there aren't enough underwater nooks and crannies for all the sea kittens? we can't recycle the steel?