Constructed in the 1930s, Amtrak’s Metuchen 25 MW rotary frequency converter in Edison, NJ, could no longer accommodate the Northeast Corridor’s growing infrastructure demands and needed to be supplemented with additional converter capacity. With an allocated space limitation of 1.5 acres, multiple site layout and equipment arrangement plans were developed to cover all the potential bidder equipment dimensions.

STV designed new equipment that reduced the risk of failures and increased the overall safety for maintenance and operations staff, while improving service reliability for the Northeast Corridor. A 230 kV, 60 Hz, three-phase, gas-insulated substation, supplied via 230 kV solid-dielectric cables in concrete encased underground duct banks, is the highest voltage substation used to supply an Amtrak’s 25 Hz generating system. To accommodate space constraints, a gas-insulated substation was included, rather than a traditional 230 kV air-insulated substation. The installation of two new 30 MW static frequency converter units and a new 13.2-138 kV, 25 Hz substation enhanced Amtrak operations by improving operational flexibility of the traction power supply and delivery system.