2025 East Best Projects
Award of Merit, Specialty Construction: WMATA Blue Line Rail Power Systems Upgrade
WMATA Blue Line Rail Power Systems Upgrade
Washington D.C.
Award of Merit
Submitted by C3M
Owner: Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
General Contractor: C3M Power Systems
The project team replaced a variety of AC switchgear, rectifiers, transformers and negative switchboards in existing stations throughout the Metrorail system, all while maintaining full functionality of traction power substations.
Significant temporary provisions requiring the handling of cumbersome heavy-gauge wire were necessary for system switchovers, removal of old equipment, new equipment installation and testing and cutovers to the DC switchgear that powers track-side trains.
Concrete pads and insulating flooring were also installed for the new equipment.
This strategy set the stage for the team’s subsequent replacement of all traction power substation equipment at three locations in parallel with a scheduled three-month summer maintenance outage on the Blue Line.
Completed below budget and ahead of schedule, the complex power infrastructure upgrade project was completed with no injuries or recordable incidents over more than 127,000 work hours.
