First of 41 New Schindler Escalators Welcomed by BART

Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) and City of San Francisco authorities welcomed the first of 41 new Schindler escalators during a ribbon-cutting at the Powell Street station on August 31. Happening in conjunction with the Market Street Canopy Project that will provide protection for the units and revitalized station entrances, the US$96.5-million escalator project is the largest such project in BART history. Built with lightweight, sustainable materials and incorporating remote monitoring and an automatic lubrication system, the heavy-duty Schindler 9700 escalators also boast new LED skirt lighting and will eventually have sleep mode operation and a variable-frequency regenerative drive function to allow for smooth starts and stops. In addition to Powell Street, new escalators are going in at Civic Center/United Nations Plaza, Embarcadero and Montgomery Street.