Bethesda Metro Escalator Replacement Completed: Officials

BETHESDA, MD — Montgomery County officials say the $8 million major escalator replacement project at Bethesda Station will be complete as of Wednesday, March 22. The project replaced five escalators in the station that had been in service for more than 30 years, making the station safer and more reliable for commuters.

For those who commuted regularly to and from the Bethesda Metro Station, escalator outages were nothing new. Commuters were forced to climb 175 stairs every time the escalators were out.

Frustrated riders, county council members and others with a stake in efficient and reliable transportation to and from Bethesda voiced their concerns to representatives from WMATA over the years.

Since October of 2014, Metro and its contractor, KONE, have replaced all five escalators inside the Bethesda Station, including the three "long" escalators that descend about ten stories from the street to the station's mezzanine.

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This project aimed to fix the frequent escalator outages in the station, caused by deferred maintenance, aging equipment and lack of personnel to address the system-wide issues.

To keep the station open throughout the years, KONE replaced one escalator at a time, leaving two units in service: one going up, one going down. Most of the work was done overnight.

The project included demolition and removal of the old escalators, design and installation of the new escalators and construction of a new set of stairs between the platform and mezzanine to improve customer flow.

The escalators were last rehabilitated in 2001-2001, and that type of service usually lasts ten to 12 years.

As a result of the project, Metro's overall escalator availability score is now at the highest level in six years at 93.5 percent, officials announced.

Metro’s Bethesda station opened in 1984 and currently serves nearly 11,000 riders on a typical weekday.

Patch File Photo