That’s the new life for two retired Atlanta subway cars that Georgia sank in the Atlantic in December 2023. A state team dove on the cars seven months later, in July 2024, according to a MARTA press release published by Mass Transit magazine. Imagine your daily commute ending at the bottom of the sea. They found soft coral and nine species of game fish. That’s not a bad second act for two trains whose journey ended on land.
It was the first dive since deployment. The divers saw a good amount of soft coral beginning to grow and nine species of game fish, the kind that anglers like to catch. The sources, however, do not name the species . One car’s roof had collapsed, which he called typical. MARTA noted that fish and other marine life, such as sea turtles, were likely the first to check out the cars, but now corals, sponges, and other encrusting organisms are taking over. Atlanta Magazine adds more detail on the order of arrival. On Georgia’s reefs, smaller baitfish are typically the first to arrive. They are usually followed by bigger game fish and turtles that look for cover in the nooks and crannies. Divers and anglers are already using the reef. It found artificial reefs tend to support similar fish density, biomass, species richness, and diversity. As the papers were collected from all over the world, it gives us a global outlook, not just a localized one to Georgia. However, there is a catch. So, reefs should be used strategically, on a location-specific scientific basis.
Researchers from NOAA science centers, led by Avery Paxton, reviewed 39 studies from around the world. Their 2020 paper published in Frontiers in Marine Science analysed fish communities on artificial reefs compared to fish on natural reefs. Because most of Georgia’s seafloor is sand and shell; only about 5% has the right habitat for game fish, this matters.
Marine biologist Cameron Brinton said the team was encouraged by the coral growth and the amount of wildlife activity. Eventually, he said, the cars will continue to change and become a home for sea creatures, including popular sport fish and endangered sea turtles. The authors mention that the results differed according to geographic settings and reef materials.
