Every month, 30 old subway cars are replaced in the massive subway system of New York City. What happens to the old ones? Their fate lies in the hands of one man: Michael Zacchea, head of the MTA's environmental unit.
His plan sounds a little contradictory to his environmental mission: Just dump them into the Atlantic. After the cars are cleaned and gutted, that's exactly what happens.

On a frigid winter morning, we follow Mike as he prepares to dump a barge full of 40 decommissioned subway cars off the coast of Maryland. A few months after they have settled on the murky sea bed, we send a few divers down to see what happens to them.

The results are breathtaking - these old cars made of steel and aluminum make perfect artificial reefs. The relics that once shuttled millions of of NYC commuters through the dark underground network of tunnels, now play host to a much quieter passenger list: algae, plankton and fish!

Client: Pro7/Galileo     Airdate: 8/27/09    TRT: 10:30 min
Director: Johannes Wiebus
Camera: Peter Krajewski
Editor: Kathleen O'Heron