An unpowered, insulated section of overhead line or third rail that electrically isolates two adjacent power supply zones. This prevents the pantograph or contact shoe from bridging two different phases or voltages, which would cause a massive short circuit. Engineers must coast through these sections, often cutting traction power temporarily to prevent drawing an electrical arc as the collector shoe leaves the live wire.
Heard on the job
Shut off the power, we're coming up on the neutral section at milepost forty.
Also heard as
- phase break
- dead section