Andrew Mollenbeck, wtop.com
WASHINGTON – For the escalators at two major Metro stations, Wednesday will be an up-and-down day.
Three new escalators, along with seven that have been overhauled, will roll out the moving steps for riders.
“These are two pretty significant milestones for anyone who uses either Union Station or Foggy Bottom,” says Dan Stessel, a spokesman for Metro.
At Union Station, work to refurbish the escalators has taken about 18 months.
“Customers who use that station have been putting up with a significant amount of inconvenience over that time, so [Wednesday] is about marking the end of that process and thanking our customers for their patience,” he says.
One rider with a suitcase gave voice to that frustration.
“When I was leaving Union Station with my suitcase and another bag, there was one escalator down,” she says. “People collected at the bottom, while everyone’s coming with their suitcases. It was terrible.”
At Foggy Bottom, a project that began in January to install new escalators has been completed. It is the first existing station in 15 years to have new ones installed.
“For the first time since January, Foggy Bottom customers will have three escalators to get them in and out of the station,” Stessel says.
Next year, a canopy will be added to preserve them.
Wednesday morning, Metro brass will be at Union Station and Foggy Bottom to mark the first major “milestone” in Metro’s $150 million escalator improvement project.
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