The Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) has awarded a multi-year contract to Schindler to replace and install escalators in four downtown stations as part of the Market Street Escalators Renovation Project.
The city’s busy core stations of Embarcadero, Montgomery, Powell and Civic Center/United Nations Plaza will be equipped with 41 Schindler 9700 transit escalators designed for high-traffic demands. Embarcadero and Montgomery stations are among the busiest of BART’s 48 stations, with more than 93,000 people passing through the stations on an average weekday in 2018, according to the company.
“Escalators are so important because they enhance people’s mobility,” said Bevan Dufty, president of the BART Board of Directors. “This is a vital installation milestone, as we will now have a single escalator technology at all our core stations. With this renovation project, we are making great strides to improve commuters’ experience in the Bay Area. We look forward to a close cooperation with Schindler to enhance escalator reliability.”
Schindler says the contract is the largest to replace escalators in BART’s history. Many of the units being replaced are among the oldest in the entire BART system, which started its service in 1972. The project is expected to begin in spring of 2020.
BART connects residents and visitors from the San Francisco Peninsula with other cities in the East Bay with transportation to downtown offices, shopping centers, tourist attractions, entertainment venues, universities and other destinations for the Bay Area.
