Metro Celebrates Escalator Milestone at Foggy Bottom

Metro General Manager and CEO Richard Sarles made special appearances at both Foggy Bottom and Union Station metros to mark the successful replacement and refurbishment of the escalators at each station. Foggy Bottom's three new entrance escalators are part of a $5 billion capital project to rebuild the D.C. metro system. Foggy Bottom's third new escalator began operating Wednesday.

"Here in Foggy Bottom, this is the first time in 15 years the escalators have been replaced," said Sarles.

"I noticed this morning that nobody was walking up and down the escalators, they were all just enjoying the ride," he added.

The $5.9 million Foggy Bottom project includes a new staircase that workers are currently installing. A new canopy coming in the first part of 2012 will help protect the new escalators, which are expected to last 20 to 30 years.

Metro has plans to overhaul or replace 153 escalators at 25 stations on all five rail lines. .

“We thank our customers for their patience as we worked on the escalators at Union Station and Foggy Bottom for upward of a year. We know it was a lengthy process, but we hope customers can now enjoy the benefits of easier travel through these stations and improved escalator reliability for years to come,” Sarles said in a prepared statement.