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Subway Cars: From Factory to Ocean Floor
By
Jen Carlson
Published Nov 12, 2009
Modified Nov 12, 2009
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Nov 12, 2009
Modified Nov 12, 2009
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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.
Tagged
national geographic
subway reef
subway reefs
television
Ultimate Factories
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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