New Entrance Escalator Opens Monday at Bethesda Station

The first of three new entrance escalators at Metro’s Bethesda Station will enter service Monday, Aug. 3, according to a news release from WMATA.

With a rise of 106 feet, the new escalator is the second longest in the Western Hemisphere behind Wheaton Station and took more than nine months from demolition of the old escalator, site preparation, delivery of the new escalator and assembly.

“This is a significant improvement for our customers at Bethesda Station,” said Metro Interim General Manager and CEO Jack Requa. “This first new entrance escalator will provide more reliable service for the thousands of passengers who travel through the station each day.”

To keep the station open, Metro’s contractor, KONE, is replacing one escalator at a time, leaving two units in service: one going up, one going down.

Work will now begin on the second new escalator; most of the work will continue to be done overnight, while the units in service are turned off. The project, which began in October 2014 is expected to take about 2 ½ years to complete at an estimated cost of $8.4 million.

“A safe and reliable Metro system is key to our community’s future. This new escalator, completed on time, is one step forward in creating a significantly improved Bethesda station. As work now moves to the second and then third escalators, I have my fingers crossed for minimal disruption and I, like so many, look forward to when we will have a whole new fleet of escalators serving our Bethesda transit riders,” said Montgomery County Councilmember Roger Berliner.

The new escalators are part of a number of improvements made at Bethesda station, including lighting improvements, a new stairway, and two new escalators between the mezzanine and platform levels that have already been installed.

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