Metro moves up schedule for Huntington Station escalator replacement to impact fewer riders

Metro will take advantage of the current period of extremely low ridership to replace three escalators at the Huntington Station south entrance, moving up the project’s start date by one year to reduce customer impact. Major construction activity – including the demolition of the existing escalators – will require the south (upper level) entrance closure for approximately five months, beginning Wednesday, August 19, 2020.

During construction, customers will be able to access Huntington Station using the north entrance escalators and elevator and are encouraged to park in the north garage. Metrobus will provide free ADA-accessible shuttles between the north and south entrance, every 10-15 minutes during Metrorail operating hours with the ability to adjust service to meet increased ridership demand if necessary.

The south entrance has three escalators, one standard-width and two narrower single-width, that are more than 37 years old and beyond their useful life. During construction, the escalator trusses will need to be carefully hoisted out and replaced in sections due to the canopy. The existing escalator configuration will also be demolished and reconfigured to install two full-width escalators instead. This will alleviate crowding on the platform when exiting the station caused by the narrower single-width escalators currently operating.

Metro overhauled the south entrance escalators last year to extend their life pending a full replacement during future construction. Due to continued reliability issues, in addition to the age of the units and obsolete parts, Metro accelerated their replacement while ridership is low. The south entrance currently averages about 400 entries on weekdays, a fraction of the typical weekday prior to Covid-19.

As part of the construction, it will be necessary to close the south bus loop for approximately two weeks. Buses will be relocated to temporary stops nearby. Additional details will be provided at a future date.

Customers are encouraged to sign up for MetroAlerts text or email messages for project and service updates at wmata.com/metroalerts.