Bethesda Metro Station escalator to be refurbished

I know what you are thinking, the long escalators have been pretty flaky this year, but no, it isn't one of them. One of the short escalators between the platform and the mezzanine is scheduled for rehabilitation starting Wednesday and continuing for 10 weeks. Get ready to walk up and down the other one with all your fellow passengers. According to WMATA, it takes a long time to refurbish them because:

Metro is committed to running all available escalator units for customer convenience. However, mechanical parts may not always be off the shelf parts that are readily available, and some parts have to be custom-made or rebuilt, a process that typically adds time to the repair schedule. Some of the work required to repair the units is done off-site, such as refurbishing steps and rebuilding gearboxes and motors.

Now, for what you are really interested in, the long ones. According to Metro, the escalator between bus terminal and mezzanine is getting a major repair and won't be back in service until the end of the month. Remember, exercise is good.

Just a bit of trivia, the longest escalator on the Red Line is 508 feet long at Wheaton metro station. It isn't only the longest on the Red Line, it is the longest on the whole metro system. And it isn't just the longest in the whole metro system, it is the longest in the whole Western Hemisphere! Bethesda Metro Stations escalators are in second place at only 475 feet long.

[where: Bethesda, MD]