Metro to Begin Escalator Replacement at Waterfront Station

Riders who use Waterfront will be the next to benefit from the installation of new, more reliable escalators. Metro will begin a major capital project to install three new entrance escalators at Waterfront Station Jan. 18.

The project will replace the current entrance escalators, which are more than 20 years old and have exceeded their useful life, with brand new escalators that are more durable and reliable. Metro's contractor, Kone, will install the new escalators one at a time, while keeping two units in service for the duration of the project — one running up and one running down.

For safety reasons, most of the work will be done overnight. In addition, the construction area will be barricaded off. The full replacement of the escalators is scheduled to take just over two years.

Metro has conducted extensive outreach to advise the community of the upcoming project, including contacts with customers, local residents, nearby apartment buildings and businesses, social service agencies and the Area Neighborhood Commission.

Since 2011, Metro has installed 37 new escalators at the following stations: Bethesda, Branch Avenue, Brookland, Columbia Heights, Dupont Circle, Foggy Bottom, Friendship Heights, Georgia Ave-Petworth, Glenmont, Metro Center, Mt. Vernon Square, Pentagon, Van Ness and Woodley Park.

In addition to the escalator replacement projects, Metro has already "rehabilitated" to "like new" condition 144 escalators across the system with 9 more to be completed by mid-2016. Rehabilitation projects result in the replacement of all critical parts, including the escalator's steps, handrails, motors, controllers, chains, and other moving parts.

Metro has 618 escalators in stations and parking garages, including the longest in the Western Hemisphere at Wheaton Station.