23-05-19 PHOTOS: Potomac Yard

Every time the DC Metro opens one or more new stations they give out promotional pennants. The last two were fairly major consisting of the Silver Line phases 1 and 2. However infill stations also count and in May of 2023 the Metro opened its last new station for the foreseeable future, Potomac Yard (or Potomac Yards if one happens to be from Baltimore). Located between the Pentagon and downtown Alexandria, VA, the Potomac Yard is located on the site of the former RF&P rail yard of the same name where Pennsylvania Railroad and Conrail freight trains from the NEC would forward their carloads to either the RF&P or Southern Railway for destinations in the south. Ultimately railroad consolidation made this practice unnecessary and Potomac Yard the railroad yard ceased to be a thing in the mid-1990's. The availability of Potomac Yard for development happened to coincide with Northern Virginia's economic boom and in the 2010's plans by Amazon and other tech companies to build out the former Potomac Yard site spurred the need for direct DC Metro rail service. You can check out my photos of the opening day festivities here ( mirror ).

The DC Metro is known to open some of its new stations at odd times with Silver Line Phase 2 opening at 2pm on a Tuesday. However unlike both Silver Line phases, Potomac Yard did not have a mid-day ribbon cutting with an official first train. It would open with the regular start of service on Friday May 19th. Because there was no way (or incentive) for me to get there for the pre-dawn first train, I picked an appropriately early MARC commuter train, led by Kab Kar #7856 at the Halethorpe station, to get me to DC in time to hopefully get a station pennant before supplies ran out.

To get to the new Potomac Yard station I would take the Read Line from Union to Gallery Place and then transfer to a Yellow Line. While waiting for the latter here is a photo of WMATA 6k car #6098 on a Green Line routing at Gallery Place.

For much of the previous year the DC Metro's Long, aka Fenwick Bridge over the Potomac River was closed for repairs, resulting in the temporary elimination of the Yellow Line. The bridge had re-opened in time for the Potomac Yard inauguration and I got this forward looking video document whatever work had been carried out.



Although I wasn't on any sort of official first train, I still grabbed some video of my own personal first arrival at Potomac Yard with this southbound car view video starting at National Airport.



The new station is a pretty basic side platform affair with a new crossover and direct fixation track. Potomac Yard is on the Blue Yellow concurrency so there was a pretty constant stream of trains. The arrival board made use of LCD screens instead of LED dot matrix displays.

While most were 3k and 6k trains, like #3004 below, a few of the 76-car 2k fleet, like #2066, was still running around due to lingering issues with the 7k wheelsets.

The station has a single point of entry and exit at the north end, which results in a long walk for anyone getting on or off at the southern end of the train. Here 6k car #6168 sits under the north end mezzanine.

I was joined on the opening day festivities by Sandbox John, who had attended every Metro opening since day one, and even appeared on a pre-opening promotional film. Unfortunately he neglected to collect the pennants early in his streak and therefore lacks a complete set.

The old C-line right of way had already been planted over for visual remediation. Because the station was on park service property, a lot of work was put into the aesthetics of the station. This contributed heavily to the $300 million cost. The station does contain a "secret" exit to the adjacent Potomac bike trail via two elevators from the mezzanine outside of fare control.

Of course the 7k cars were out and about, but their proportion was still lagging due to the ongoing wheelset repairs.

Because the new station would create additional power draw from acceleration and deceleration, the existing substation was expanded with two new transformers.

I don't know how long this will last, but the current weekday morning schedule has inbound and outbound trains meeting at Potomac Yards, which makes for fun video and photo ops.





The fare control mezzanine is typical for the DC Metro and a table was set up with opening day schwag.

The new interlocking, C11, is a typical scissors crossover and was constructed on a direct fixation slab.

Since the morning rush was in full swing there was a pretty steady of inbound VRE trains that only run weekdays in the peak direction. The VRE fleet is composed entirely of MP36PH-3C's like #V69 below.

One of the most useful features of the new station isn't even inside fare control. The access walkway over the CSX RF&P Sub provides a fantastic vantage point for photographing CSX, Amtrak and VRE action. Here is CSX ES44AC #3091 at the head of a northbound doublestack intermodal train that was allowed north by CSX dispatch during the morning peak period.

Not long after, northbound Amtrak Regional Train 86 appears on track #3 with P42DC #167 leading.

This was followed by a northbound double headed VRE train led by cab car #V719.

In a stroke of luck the VRE train, powered by MP36PH-3C #V58, met southbound Amtrak Regional Train #174 led by Phase 2 heritage unit #130!

Another inbound VRE trains was close behind with cab car #V721 and MP36PH-3C #V57.

Potomac Yard station utilizes three access walkways to connect the north and south entry pavilions with the station fare control mezzanine. The walkways all meet at a central T junction.

The North Pavilion is the fancier of the two with this cool lobby art.

North Pavilion with the park service mandated stonework and opening day greeters.

The South Pavilion was more austere, but had a better schwag table where I was finally able to obtain my pennant!

Heading back to the station I caught one more VRE train with cab car #V728 and MP36PH-3C #V50.

Two classic series Metro trains passing through the new interlocking as seen from the station mezzanine. The inbound train contained the previously photographed #2067-66 2k pair. Be careful when taking photos at the window however because the station can eat it.

Of course an interlocking comes with breaks in the third rail and positioned right after a station stop means that one can see some pretty impressive arcing when the inbound trains are under acceleration.



Just as I was about to depart, the DC Metro General Manager arrived on a working 7k train for the official opening ceremonies in the VIP tent.

Of course I also got forward cab view video of my first departure from Potomac Yard and the subsequent run to National Airport.



Heading home here is more MARC equipment at Union Station including cab cars #8053, #7849 and MP36PH-3C #27.

At Halethorpe, Track A was still shut down so passengers made use of the platform gondola. The single level train departed with MP36PH-3C #17 and cab car #7757.

That's all for Potomac Yard opening day. Although the Metro has plans for 2 or 3 new infill stations, none are currently funded. In the meanwhile I'll be looking forward to my next station opening, PATCO' Franklin Square.