BART riders can now access the Powell Street Station platform via escalator as the transit agency moves forward with its escalator renovation project.
The first of five platform escalators in the station to be in service, the new escalator is made with lighter, sustainable materials, greater safety features and an environmentally friendly automatic lubrication system. BART describes the new design to be “the vanguard for a new generation of escalators.”
The Market Street Escalator Project will replace the 22 street escalators and 18 platform escalators that make up some of the system’s most dated units. Civic Center station will also receive a new street-to-concourse escalator, set to open in October.
The new escalators also parallel another project will bring 22 new entrances, entrance gates, screens and more security cameras in downtown San Francisco BART stations.