Page 284 - Beyond Decommissioning

Experience and lessons learned 265

and electronics for fission devices to the Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore labs
and later Sandia Lab and Pantex assembly plants. Later on it carried tritium-
contaminated scrap from other DOE labs for decontamination. It also carried
Pu238 RTGs that were made up at Mound. Finally, the spur carried the contaminated
rubble and soil that was excavated during the Mound’s decommissioning period.
To give one example, there are in Italy some 5700 km of unused railways. One
could consider these landscaping elements to enhance the touristic appeal of their ter-
ritories (Fig. 6.49).
In some cases, old railways—originally intended for freight and passenger
service—have been refitted to serve touristic purposes. One example is the Val
(Valley) Venosta Train, Italy. It was inaugurated in 1906. In 1990 after many inter-
ruptions there was the last train running throughout the valley. In 1999 under public
ownership the track was redeveloped as a tourist line and in May 2005, the new train
made its first voyage. Today the track is 60 km long; it runs along the Adige River
across the valley. The stations along the track date back to the early 1900s and are
part of the cultural heritage of the region. The stations have been renovated in coop-
eration with the Provincial Antiquities and Monuments Office, striving for preserving
their original charm. Modern techniques have been employed in the restoration,
including the achievement of excellent accessibility for the disabled (Val Venosta
Train, n.d.).
The simplest railway conversion approach appears to be the one into cycle paths.
The 1980s saw the birth of cycle route projects in Denmark and in the Netherlands.
Following the “bicycle boom” of the early 1980s, German towns also began moving in

Fig. 6.49 Old railway converted into a nature trail, Basilicata Region, Italy.
Photo by M. Laraia, 2013.