2.5 years to replace escalators? Really (Bethesda: 2014, construction, closing)

[Niceguy17]

Is this for real? I have seen entire buildings erected in less time. What is going on here?

Metro

[bufflove]

The press release explains it. They're only working on the escalators when the station's closed (a 4 hour window) and only doing 1 escalator at a time (there are three total). Obviously, they could complete it much faster and efficiently if they were to shut down the escalators all day long and/or demolish multiple escalators at once, but they prefer to minimize impact on users instead.

[Niceguy17]

I understand what they said in the release, but even with the explanation, two and a half years seems unreasonable. I feel like if an escalator needed replacing in a shopping mall it would not be out of service for 30 months...

[bufflove]

Originally Posted by Niceguy17

I understand what they said in the release, but even with the explanation, two and a half years seems unreasonable. I feel like if an escalator needed replacing in a shopping mall it would not be out of service for 30 months...

Right, because there aren't 3 of them and the 3 aren't only worked on one at a time during a 4 hour period at night. It's not 30 months - it's 10 months per escalator, again, due to the fact they don't want to disrupt users and will only work on the project for 4 hours a night when the system's shutdown. Not to mention these escalators are the second longest in the entire western hemisphere. This is surely the first time I've defended crappy metro in my life, but comparing the entire metro project of replacing three 213 ft long escalators, one at a time, in 4 hour increments, to a mall replacing one 25 ft escalator is silly.

[Niceguy17]

Because everything else Metro has done in regards to escalator maintenance has been efficient and reasonable. And I'm not comparing it directly to a 25 foot escalator. But that same escalator if it were in the private sector would be done in days. There is significant inefficiency built into that number and it's sad that we just accept it.

[bufflove]

Originally Posted by Niceguy17

Because everything else Metro has done in regards to escalator maintenance has been efficient and reasonable. And I'm not comparing it directly to a 25 foot escalator. But that same escalator if it were in the private sector would be done in days. There is significant inefficiency built into that number and it's sad that we just accept it.

Right, the inefficiency is by design, as I've already explained. Of course they could shut down the station, do all three escalators at once, and work in 12 hour shifts, but they've chosen not to and I'm fine with that. Minimizing the impact on metro commuters is more important than speed, IMO. That's perfectly fine that you think otherwise.

[Niceguy17]

Fair enough.

[bigjretrac]

Not to mention that Bethesda only has one entrance, I'm told, so it's not like they could shut down the whole thing without closing the station. They also don't want the construction to impede on traffic flow if a mass exodus of people were to exit the station (train breakdown, emergency, event, etc.).

[Fundman]

The extensive use of escalators in the Metro system was a big design mistake. There are stations where the escalators are under continual repair. It takes years to overhaul one and by then they are broken again and the cycle just repeats. They should have used stairs to get from the platforms to the mezzanine level. Limiting the escalators to just the entrances at the deep underground stations.

[wildcat3]

Remember how long it took them to fix the short escalators from the platform and to Wisconsin Ave this year? Months, and it was way behind schedule. So years to fix the main escalators isn't a surprise. And we need to add time to those WMAT estimates to be realistic.

Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row: WHAT A SHOCK! BETHESDA METRO ESCALATOR MISSES WMATA REPAIR DEADLINE (PHOTOS)

Getting around on the Red Line on weekends has been difficult for awhile now with all of the delays and reduced schedules.