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Metro Takes Steps To Address Faulty Escalators

By: Jessica Jordan // January 4, 2011
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Metro recently appointed a new general superintendent for elevator and escalator programs as part of an effort to address safety issues with Metro escalators.
WMATA, photograph by Larry Levine
Metro recently appointed a new general superintendent for elevator and escalator programs as part of an effort to address safety issues with Metro escalators.

Metro is focusing extra attention on its problematic escalators, a frequent source of complaint from riders. The transit agency is starting the new year with a newly appointed general superintendent for elevator and escalator programs.

Veteran engineer Rodrigo Bitar has been assigned to the position. His task: to oversee the repairs and upkeep of hundreds of escalators and elevators that Metro has failed to maintain.

In October, six passengers at the L'Enfant Plaza station were injured when the brakes on a Metro escalator malfunctioned. After the incident, a system wide inspection found additional problems with various Metro escalators.

Bitar will be charged with shepherding repair work laid out in an agency assessment made public earlier this year.

Bitar previously worked for Metro as a director of quality assurance and warranty, where he focused on improving maintenance processes.

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