Photo by author.

Lately, one of the big criticisms of Metro revolves around its escalators. Why the transit authority has so many problems is anyone’s guess. But one reason people see so many problems is because of the sheer number of escalators.

Metro has 588 escalators systemwide, more than any other transit system in the western hemisphere.

In fact, initial plans for Metro called for the exclusive use of escalators for vertical movement. Stations were later modified (prior to opening) to include elevators. And later stations often included staircases to save on costs.

The size of the station dot represents the number of escalators in each station.

L’Enfant Plaza has the most escalators of any station in the system &mdash 31. Gallery Place comes in a close second with 30 and is followed by Metro Center’s 25.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Forest Glen, the deepest station in the system, has no escalators. The only way for patrons to get to the surface is by elevator. Twinbrook has just 1 escalator and there are 11 stations with only two escalators.

The fact that the downtown transfer stations have scores of escalators is no surprise. But the fact that Union Station, which is one of the busiest stations in the system, has less than one-third as many escalators as Gallery Place or L’Enfant Plaza is interesting.

Some stations, like Woodley Park, have higher numbers because they have two-stage exit escalators.

Of course, as upkeep problems have mounted, there have been calls to replace some escalators with stairs. While stairs can’t move as many people per minute as an escalator, they also don’t break or have to be closed for repairs very often.

A 2006 study by Metro looked at converting 23 escalators to stairs. It noted that the annual upkeep cost of a Metro escalator is $51,000.

Metro doesn’t seem to have moved on that particular study. But even if they had, the sheer volume of escalators in the system means that we’re going to have a lot of them for a long time to come. Increasing their reliability needs to be near the top of Metro’s priority list.

Matt Johnson has lived in the Washington area since 2007. He has a Master’s in Planning from the University of Maryland and a BS in Public Policy from Georgia Tech. He lives in Dupont Circle. He’s a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners, and is an employee of the Montgomery County Department of Transportation. His views are his own and do not represent those of his employer.