MTA About NYC Transit

New York City Transit and the Environment Every day, each person who chooses to travel by bus or train contributes to a cleaner environment. That translates into approximately 700,000 cars kept out of New York City's central business district daily. It also means 400 million fewer pounds of soot, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and other toxic substances released each year into the city's air. However, we do more at NYC Transit than transporting seven million people a day. We also develop and implement programs to improve the environment. ISO 14001 - Environmental Management System An Environmental Management System is a long-range plan that measures environmental program goals and effectiveness. ISO 14001 sets international rules and guidelines for an EMS. NYC Transit’s Department of Capital Program created an EMS certified to ISO 14001 standards. Check out our blueprint for going green, here and in our policy. Environmental Policy and Significant Aspect NYC Transit believes that you shape the world by what you do. Read the details of our commitment to better transportation and a better environment. Sustainable Development Sustainable development supports the idea of maintaining healthy, natural systems and supporting financial growth simultaneously. Learn how NYC Transit has promoted sustainability, balancing our transportation system with the eco-system. Green Building Program Green Building projects emphasize water, energy, and materials conservation while also minimizing waste and pollution. Discover why bus depots, subway stations, maintenance shops, and other NYC Transit facilities are getting greener. Energy/Electricity Conservation What steps has NYC Transit taken to reduce the costs of heating, cooling, ventilation, and lighting for its facilities and infrastructure? How can NYC Transit save electricity when it runs the largest fleet of subway cars in the world at all hours, 365 days a year? Here's how we're doing it. Water Conservation Read an introduction to NYC Transit procedures for storm water management as regulated by the Federal Clean Water Act. See a video clip that shows how the New Corona Maintenance Shop and Car Washer harvests rainwater to wash subway cars. The Clean Fuel Bus Program NYC Transit is a leader in the field of alternative fuel sources and new technologies for cleaner buses. We were the first public transit system in the country to switch all diesel buses to ultra-low sulfur fuel. Follow our progress. ISO 14001 - Environmental Management System ISO stands for the International Organization for Standardization, a worldwide group that defines international environmental management criteria for the manufacture, provision, and distribution of goods and services in a series of standards known as ISO 14000. An EMS is an Environmental Management System, a structured, measurable method for identifying and measuring an organization’s environmental impact. It provides a framework for an organization’s environmental programs and goals. ISO 14001 creates an EMS model that the American National Standards Institute has endorsed as the EMS standard for the United States. Click here to see a video about ISO NYC Transit, through the efforts of its Department of Capital Program Management (CPM), is the first public agency in America and one of the first transit systems in the world to have an Environmental Management System (EMS) certified to ISO 14001. (Click here to see the certificate). In short, we created a comprehensive long-term plan to ensure our projects conform to international standards for environmental sustainability. EMS Benefits include: Improved and enhanced environmental performance Pollution prevention and resource conservation Increased efficiency and cost reduction Employee awareness of environmental issues and responsibilities Environmental Policy and Significant Aspect The Department of Capital Program Management (CPM) is committed to the safe design, management, construction, and renovation of MTA New York City Transit's subway and bus facilities and equipment. The safety of our employees, customers, and contractors, and protection of the environment are among our highest priorities. In compliance with NYC Transit's Environmental Management Policy and Program, CPM will establish, implement, and maintain an Environmental Management System (EMS) that conforms to the ISO 14001 EMS Standard, and provides a disciplined framework within which we will fulfill our environmental responsibilities and continually improve our environmental performance. In this endeavor, we will: Consider actual and potential environmental aspects and impacts of our operations and activities at all stages of our projects. Set EMS objectives and targets, and review them periodically to enhance our EMS and environmental performance. Establish environmental procedures and programs that include: preventing pollution, conserving resources, and practicing sustainable development amidst continuing climate change. Adhere to applicable environmental laws and regulations, in addition to our voluntary environmental commitments. Exercise utmost diligence in order to minimize or, if possible, remove adverse environmental effects our projects might have on employees, contractors, customers, communities where our projects are located, and on the global environment. Document, implement, and maintain our EMS. Convey our EMS and environmental policy to all CPM employees, to others working on our behalf, and to the public Share our experience and expertise with other MTA and City agencies. Support the efforts of the MTA, New York City, and New York State regarding energy conservation, carbon footprint reduction, environmentally preferable procurement and waste minimization, water conservation, sustainable design and construction of facilities, and transit-oriented development. If you would like to see the signed document for the Environmental Policy, click here. Significant Aspect The significant aspect associated with CPM work is Resource Efficiency/Sustainability Back to top Contractor and Consultant Awareness NYC Transit’s commitment to environmental leadership includes doing business with contractors and consultants who fulfill their environmental obligations responsibly. Through its Department of Capital Program Management, NYC Transit makes sure contractors and consultants understand and conform to our Environmental Management System program. Click here to read a letter about environmental standards from Thomas Abdallah, P.E., LEED AP, Chief Environmental Engineer, Department of Capital Program Management, to contractors who wish to work for NYC Transit. It’s important that contractors and consultants comply with NYC Transit’s Department of Capital Program Management environmental policy to: save natural resources use less energy prevent pollution comply with legal requirements create positive feelings in communities People who work with NYC Transit must: Follow contract specifications Comply with environmental rules such as noise thresholds Gain an understanding of CPM’s Resource Efficiency/Sustainability efforts Flag possible environmental problems during the project Work with NYC Transit to prevent or alleviate these problems Sustainable Development Sustainable development supports the concept that economic and social development is complementary to environmental protection. It involves long-and-short-term planning to increase community and business growth and productivity without diminishing the health and productivity of supporting and surrounding natural systems. NYC Transit’s Department of Capital Program Management (CPM) is responsible for design and construction management of roughly two billion dollars of capital construction projects a year. NYC Transit uses significant amounts of electrical power, fuel, water, and construction materials. However, NYC Transit maintains a commitment to sustainability, and continues to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. NYC Transit, through its Department of Capital Program Management (CPM), has implemented many programs that promote sustainability. In December 2003, NYC Transit was the first public transportation organization in North America and one of the first in the world to become a Full Signatory member of the International Association of Public Transport (L' Union Internationale des Transports Publics, or UITP) Charter on Sustainable Development. In 2000, NYC Transits Department of Buses launched the Clean Fuel Bus Program to improve air quality. In June 2001, former New York State Governor George E. Pataki issued Executive Order (EO) 111, Green and Clean State Buildings and Vehicles. This directive sets goals for green building designs, energy-efficient State buildings, energy from renewable sources, and the procurement of energy-efficient products, and alternative fuel vehicles. All MTA agencies are working in compliance with EO 111 and continuing sustainable development efforts. Back to top Green Building Program NYC Transit Capital Program Management's Environmental Management System (EMS) incorporates Resource Efficiency/ Sustainability so that all construction projects - from building design to subway expansion -consider these criteria to increase energy efficiency; enhance indoor environmental quality; conserve water and natural resources; and make beneficial use of waste, e.g., recycling programs: Review projects’ specifications to replace conventional materials with environmentally “friendlier” resources. Evaluate energy efficient alternative products Consider products with a high-salvage value. Procure local products to minimize transportation energy. Use paints, sealants, and caulking that have low VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and minimal off-gas* potential. Low-VOC building materials do not release significant pollutants. Off-gas refers to VOC emissions into the environment. Recycled Content in Construction Materials* The Roosevelt Avenue Subway Station project used fly ash to replace up to 15 percent of the cement in the concrete mix. Not only didn’t the fly ash become waste product but we also added the unused cement to another project. Specifications for all capital construction projects now include coal combustion fly ash in thick concrete mix to save cement. This colorful cement mixer has a 15 percent blend of fly ash in place of concrete. The unused concrete became part of another building project. Construction Waste NYC Transit has diverted thousands of tons of traditionally landfill-bound construction waste for recycling. NYC Transit’s Stillwell Avenue Terminal, Brooklyn, and Roosevelt Avenue, Queens, Subway Station rehabilitation projects recycled up to 85 percent of construction debris, including concrete, metal, glass and paper. Waste Management and Subway Cars “Redbird” subway cars begin a new life underwater as artificial reefs for marine life. NYC Transit made more than 1,200 “retired “Red Bird” subway cars available to Virginia, Georgia, South Carolina, Delaware and New Jersey. The cars had served subway customers for many years. Now they had a new purpose-- to help form artificial reefs and become habitats for marine life. After we stripped the subway cars of components that float (oils, solids, etc.) and decompose, NYC Transit steam cleaned the cars, which were loaded on barges and “buried” at sea. Air Pollution Prevention Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) Abatement Systems Volatile Organic Compounds, (VOC) are pollutants that certain substances emit when they mix with the air we breathe. When NYC Transit installed a bus paint booth at the Grand Avenue Bus Maintenance facility in Queens, we used a green design with a carbon bed to absorb VOC released in air exhaust. A new regenerative thermal oxidizer also controls air pollutant emissions. The new bus painting system in the Grand Avenue facility reduces environmental pollutants as much as 95 percent in comparison with conventional paint spray booths. Now, all of our new paint booths employ the best available control technology. Automatic Fluid Application We are retrofitting paint fluid applications at nine bus depots to reduce the volume of wasted paint in the bus painting process. Reducing paint volume not only saves paint but also means that we need to remove fewer Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) pollutants from air exhausts. Low-NOx Boilers NYC Transit is replacing old boilers with Low-NOx (Nitrogen Oxides) boilers. Conventional boilers produce NOx emissions that contribute to smog. The Low-NOx boilers reduce Nitrogen Oxides emissions by 70 to 85 percent compared to older boiler equipment. In some instances, we are retrofitting older boilers to burn fuel more efficiently and using a higher-grade of heating oil. Photovoltaic (PV) Panels Sunlight produces illumination and electricity. In the mid-nineties, NYC Transit began installing solar power units with photovoltaic (PV) panels. The 300kW system on the roof of the Gun Hill Road Bus Depot in the Bronx is one of the largest PV facilities on the East Coast. The New Corona Car Washer and Maintenance Facility, Queens, has a 100kW rooftop system. The 60,000-square-foot photovoltaic canopy over the Stillwell Avenue Subway Terminal (Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue Station, Brooklyn) produces 250kW of clean power. Stillwell Avenue-Coney Island, Brooklyn is the first subway station to use solar energy. The Roosevelt Avenue-74th Street Station, Queens, produces 65 kW using two PV systems: the roof has a conventional system; the second system, mounted to the metal standing seam canopy of the elevated platform, is composed of thin-film solar panels. Roosevelt Avenue-74th Street Station Roof PV System Solar Panels on top of Roosevelt Avenue-74th Street Station. Elevated Platform Canopy Hydrogen Fuel Cell A fuel cell is an electrochemical energy device that generates electricity for powering motors, lights, buildings, etc. Fuel cells convert hydrogen and oxygen into electricity and heat. This creates power more efficiently, and with less pollution. One of the renewable energy sources at the New Corona Car Washer and Maintenance Facility in Queens is a 200 kW Fuel Cell unit installed with support from the New York Power Authority. The Corona Maintenance Facility is expected to exceed the New York State code for energy efficiency by 36 percent, and is the first NYC Transit facility certified under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Standard, LEED, ™ created by the US Green Building Council. This fuel cell (background) converts hydrogen and oxygen into electricity and heat to save energy. The US Green Building Council (www.USGBC.com) created LEED®. NYC Transit’s Corona Maintenance Facility in Queens is LEED® certified. Natural Lighting/Day Lighting The Corona Maintenance Facility in Queens uses natural lighting to complement or replace electric lighting. The day lighting enters the building through side windows and skylights. Special “Low-e” (low energy) coatings on window glazing allow the transmission of visible portions of solar energy into the building interior while blocking infrared and ultraviolet components of light that would otherwise introduce heat. Natural side-lighting at the Corona Maintenance Facility Natural sky-lighting at the New Corona Car Washer and Maintenance Facility In July 2004, New York City's Department of Environmental Protection (NYC DEP), in cooperation with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), announced the winners of its first Green Buildings Design Competition to demonstrate ways to integrate green building ideas in new and existing New York City structures. The Roosevelt Avenue -74th Street Station received an award for excellence in the use of good design principles and the integration of green building technologies. The New Corona Car Washer and Maintenance Facility received honorable mention for excellence in integrating sustainable design strategies into a railcar maintenance facility. Back to top
Energy/Electricity Conservation Heat Recovery Units Ventilation systems use a great deal of energy and are costly because they require bringing air from outside a building and adjusting its temperature to maintain an indoor environment. NYC Transit uses Heat Recovery Units (HRU) in many projects to reduce a building’s ventilation energy load. When it is cold outside, an HRU recovers heat from outgoing air by using a heat-exchanger to preheat fresh incoming air, which the HRU system distributes throughout the building. A Heat Recovery Unit (HRU), background, at the New Corona Maintenance Facility Natural Ventilation Buildings that have natural ventilation do not need as much mechanical air circulation; this lowers energy consumption, resulting in a healthier and greener environment. NYC Transit believes that the best approach to new building ventilation is a mixed mode of natural and mechanical ventilation, where both systems work independently or simultaneously, depending on the climate and season, among other conditions. The New Corona Maintenance Facility (Queens), which has a mixed mode system, does not require mechanical ventilation during the summer until the temperature outside reaches the mid-eighties. ENERGY STAR ENERGY STAR is an international standard for energy efficient electrical equipment created by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1992. The European Union, as well as Japan, Australia, Canada, and other countries have adopted it. Most electrical equipment that NYC Transit currently purchases is ENERGY STAR rated. Light Emitting Diode Signals NYC Transit has been replacing its incandescent train signaling lights with highly efficient light emitting diode (LED) Signals. Using LED signals means a 60 percent savings in energy compared with traditional incandescent light. LED lights improve brightness 150 percent, and they decrease greenhouse gas emissions substantially since the LED signals lower electrical demand and production. LEDs also have an extremely long life, which reduces landfill use and saves labor.To date we’ve replaced 47,000 of our 60,000 signal lights with LED. Fluorescent Lighting We are replacing incandescent light bulbs with fluorescent bulbs in subway stations throughout the system. When NYC Transit switched to T12 fluorescent bulbs, station lighting increased 750 percent and power consumption decreased 28 percent. An additional change to T8 bulbs kept lighting as bright as before, but reduced our energy use by an extra 26 percent. Compact fluorescent bulbs replaced conventional incandescent light in tunnels because the compact bulb design fit the same sockets. Compact bulbs offer the same benefits as longer fluorescent light tubes and have increased tunnel lighting 500 percent with just a modest power increase of 11 percent. What’s more, since each compact fluorescent bulb consumes four-to-six times less energy than an incandescent bulb, the compact bulb yields 1,300 fewer pounds of carbon dioxide emissions over its lifetime of 7,500 to 10,000 hours. Overall, station and tunnel lighting upgrades have made stations and tunnels brighter, safer, more secure, and more comfortable, and save NYC Transit $4.8 million a year. Compact fluorescent bulbs in this tunnel will last 7,500 to 10,000 hours. Formerly, incandescent tunnel bulbs burned for only 750 hours. Systems Power Reduction NYC Transit began surveying depots, yards and other facilities in the 1990s in collaboration with the New York Power Authority to reduce power in our heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems. NYC Transit completed more than 45 projects between 1993 and 2007 and now saves close to 50 megawatt hours of electricity annually – that’s upwards of 30 tons of CO2 emissions avoided every year. Subway Car Shunting Elimination Program In 1996, NYC Transit began the Subway Car Shunting Elimination Program, one of its most successful energy conservation projects. By modulating the acceleration rate and limiting the top speed of the 5,800-car subway fleet, NYC Transit reduces energy use per subway car mile by 12 percent and saves 240 million-kilowatt hours of electricity annually. Regenerative Braking The fleet of New Technologies subway cars (also called New Millennium Trains) has regenerative braking. Braking action feeds energy back into the Third Rail that would otherwise be lost as heat when the train stops. These R-142, R-142A, R-143, and R-160 subway car-models run on the , , , , and routes. I This New Millennium train has brakes that save energy by feeding it back into the Third Rail when the train stops. Aluminum Rail Since aluminum is a better conductor of electricity than steel, NYC Transit is experimenting with two kinds of aluminum third rails to save energy: an all-aluminum rail with a stainless steel cap on its contact surface; and a steel-and-aluminum hybrid rail that has a steel base and aluminum cladding on its sides. Aluminum is also lighter than steel, which means aluminum-component rails are easier to handle, install, and replace than conventional steel rails. Water Conservation Storm Water Management Program MTA New York City Transit created a Storm Water Management Program (SWMP) in accordance with United States Environmental Protection Agency requirements for storm water regulations under the Federal Clean Water Act. The program establishes procedures to reduce pollutants caused by storm water runoff at NYC Transit facilities. Pollution control measures include construction-site runoff controls, spill response and prevention, and waste management. Click here for more information: www.mta.nyc.ny.us/nyct/storminfo/storminfo.htm Rainwater Collection and “Grey Water” Re-Use NYC Transit’s Storm Water Management Program minimizes the use of potable water by harvesting rainwater, and then recycling it as “grey water” (non-industrial wastewater generated from domestic processes such as washing dishes, laundry and bathing). A rainwater collection system on the roof of the New Corona Car Washer and Maintenance Facility in Queens drains rainwater into a 40,000-gallon underground storage tank that supplies water to a subway car washer. See how the Corona car washer works by clicking here. This washing system at the Grand Avenue Bus Depot and Maintenance Facility in Maspeth, Brooklyn, has a 200,000-gallon tank. The Clean Fuel Bus Program NYC Transit was the first public agency in the world to have a bus fleet 100 percent accessible to customers who use wheelchairs. NYC Transit also explored ways to make its bus fleet better for customers by introducing environmentally friendly features. In the 1990’s New York City Transit launched an alternative fuel vehicle program. Former Governor George Pataki and the State Legislature announced a historic plan on June 1, 2000 to transform the NYC Transit bus fleet into the cleanest in the world. To date NYC Transit has committed roughly $1 billion to the Clean Fuel Bus Program with the following results: In September 2000, NYC Transit became the first public transportation system in the country to switch all diesel buses in the fleet to ultra-low sulfur fuel, which has 90 percent less sulfur than traditional fuel and reduces emissions. This was years ahead of federal mandates. To date we have repowered 671 buses, replacing original two-stoke engines with new, four-stoke engines that are up to 94 percent cleaner burning. In addition, NYC Transit retired its last 2-stroke diesel engines in the summer of 2005. NYC Transit has retrofitted more than 3,200 buses with diesel particulate filters, an emissions control technology that reduces diesel particulate emissions from engines by as much as 95 percent. In addition, we have received 1,300 new buses that have diesel particulate filters. NYC Transit has the largest hybrid-electric bus fleet in North America. By the end of 2008, the hybrid fleet will reach nearly 700 buses. The Jackie Gleason Depot converted to 100 percent compressed natural gas (CNG) operations in 1999. The West Farms Depot opened in 2003; today, half its fleet is CNG buses. We have purchased 481 CNG buses to date.
NYC Transit introduced hybrid-electric buses into the fleet in 1998 and will have nearly 700 in service by the end of 2008.	More than 400 CNG (compressed natural gas) buses are in service.
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New York City Transit and the Environment

Compact fluorescent bulbs in this tunnel will last 7,500 to 10,000 hours. Formerly, incandescent tunnel bulbs burned for only 750 hours.

Compact fluorescent bulbs in this tunnel will last 7,500
to 10,000 hours. Formerly, incandescent tunnel bulbs
burned for only 750 hours.