Sound Transit Escalator Flop: 'We Apologize'

SEATTLE, WA - Sound Transit is apologizing for the frequent collapse of escalators at multiple light rail stations. Two stations in particular - Capitol Hill and the University of Washington - experience frequent outages, and don't have stairs for people to use when escalators break down.

"First things first: our escalators at UW Station haven't met basic customer expectations or our own performance standards. We know this and we apologize," the agency wrote on its website after Thursday's Sound Transit Board meeting.

The UW station has been a problem in particular. In March, an escalator failure there forced commuters to use elevators to get from the platform to the street, causing waits of up to 45 minutes. Even though broken escalators are basically just stairs, Sound Transit would not allow commuters to use them as such.

The escalators break so much at UW, Sound Transit decided Thursday to replace all the escalators starting in 2019. Eleven escalators will be upgraded with heavier-duty equipment, and two escalators will be transformed into stairs. The construction should last until 2022.

At Capitol Hill, Sound Transit will convert two staircases for permanent use. The under-construction light rail station in the U-District will come with stairs before it opens in 2021.

Read more from Sound Transit here.

Patch file photo