Capitol South Rail Substation (Washington, D.C.)

 railway, electrical sub-station, historical layer / disappeared object, railway traction substation

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Former PRR (later Amtrak) substation along the freight-only PRR Washington freight bypass now run by CSX. Converted 138kV 25Hz transmission power to 12kV traction power for the overhead catenary. Supplied power to the southern end of Washington Union Station as well as the Potomac Yard. Original terminus of the two 138kV circuits as well as 12kV feeders that ran underground through the First Street Tunnels.

Cost savings and problems with the underground cables in the tunnels caused Amtrak to mothball Capitol South and run feeders from the substation in Landover, MD. As rail traffic increased over time, this became a serious problem in the form of low-voltage issues in and around the Union Station complex, as well as general unreliability. This prompted Amtrak to build the new Ivy City substation within the confines of its associated yard, essentially replacing the Capitol South substation.

After many years of disuse, the substation was demolished around 2005.