What do you do with old railcars? Give them to the fish! That’s what the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) in Georgia did with two retired metro cars . They are the latest additions to the human-made artificial reefs at L Reef. This 4-square-mile marine wildlife refuge was established in 1976. Its artificial reefs are made of intentionally sunk junk that includes M-60 battle tanks, barges, tugboats, and more.
The two metro cars were thoroughly cleaned before being sunk in December 2023. It didn’t take long for marine life to move in: By the end of 2024, nine species of fish had turned the cars into their home and soft coral had started growing on their metallic surfaces. “It gives us the ability to take care of coastal resources for future generations,” says Thomas Worthy, chairman of the MARTA board of directors.