by dcmike
The Metro-owned substations are used to convert the utility power from distribution level AC voltage to the 750VDC traction power consumed by the rail cars. Metro doesn't generate their own power; the substations are fed by the local commercial utilities (PEPCO in DC/MD and Dominion in VA). If the utility suffers a service disruption then Metro does too. There is some redundancy built in but it's not entirely resilient.
This was probably the right move. PEPCO were warning their customers to expect outages. I received a robocall from them concerning my home account imploring me to be prepared for extended power loss events.
This was probably the right move. PEPCO were warning their customers to expect outages. I received a robocall from them concerning my home account imploring me to be prepared for extended power loss events.