Mock terrorist attack staged at Franklin Station

PATCO’s unused Franklin Square subway station was the site of a fake terrorist attack being staged by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Wednesday.

Philadelphia’s “ghost station” has been contaminated with imaginary radiation.

PATCO’s unused Franklin Square subway station was the site of a fake terrorist attack being staged by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Wednesday.

Almost 40 people from dozens of Federal agencies move in and out of the concrete hole on 7th street – the entrance to Franklin Square Station. They are all imagining that a small radioactive bomb has gone off in the subway system. Bob Kelly of the EPA says they are testing a new spray-on epoxy that removes radioactive particles.

“There’s a process where you put it on and peel it off,” says Kelly. “So we’re putting it on to see if it peels off to the manufacturer’s specifications.”

They are testing the process of using the epoxy. They are not testing how effective it is with radiation, because, in reality, there is no radiation in the subway.

“We’re trying to get some real-world venues, deal with the impact of the train,” says EPA spokesman David Polish. “Some people have never had to react to a situation like this, and this gives them a chance to react.”

Radiation clean-up tests are being conducted in five locations around Philadelphia this week, including the Navy Yard and FDR Park.