BART says it is replacing many of the system's aging escalators, some roughly 50 years old, with brand-new units that come with warranty coverage and are designed to be more reliable. The agency is pitching the work as part of a broader modernization effort paid for by voter-approved Measure RR. Riders at downtown Market Street stations can expect phased closures and plenty of construction fencing while crews swap out the old machines for the new escalators.
What BART Is Telling Riders
In a post on X today, BART said the system's roughly 50-year-old escalators are being fully replaced and that the new machines will come with warranty coverage. The agency described the work as a “transitional period of modernization” funded by Measure RR and said the swap is meant to reduce the frequent entry failures that have hit downtown stations hard.
The 50 year old escalators are getting fully replaced. We are in a transitional period of modernization thanks to voter approval of Measure RR to rebuilding old infrastructure.
— BART (@SFBART) February 8, 2026
Once they are replaced, riders will enjoy the reliability of new units under warranty.
What The Program Covers And Who Is Paying
The Market Street program traces back to a 2019 procurement: a $96.5 million contract to replace 41 escalators at Embarcadero, Montgomery, Powell, and Civic Center, with Measure RR providing the bond funding to expand the effort. Hoodline coverage at the time noted that the work targets the busiest and most trouble-prone units. The procurement also included options for maintenance to help keep the new escalators in service once they are installed.
Where The New Units Show Up First
According to BART's project page, the program will replace 22 street-to-concourse escalators and 18 concourse-to-platform units across the four downtown stations, and crews have already completed dozens of rebuilds, with others still under construction. The work is being coordinated with a parallel canopy program that will shelter street-level entrances and reduce weather-related damage. The contract requires a minimum 96% reliability rate for the new escalators over the life of the procurement.
The Tech Upgrades And Warranties
Industry coverage says the latest escalator units include remote monitoring, variable-frequency drives, and sleep modes that slow or stop the machines when they are unused, cutting wear and lowering energy use. Those upgrades, paired with manufacturer warranties and service contracts, are expected to shorten repair cycles and reduce outages. Contractors are also using improved parts inventories and monitoring tools to speed repairs when they do happen.
Why Riders Are Fed Up
Local reporting has repeatedly documented long escalator outages and slow repair turnarounds at downtown stations, and an analysis by SFGate showed some high-traffic machines were offline for hundreds of days across recent years. Riders have long complained about stair-only options during peak hours, and the accessibility hit when elevators or escalators fail. Some responses to BART's post pointed out that parts of Embarcadero and other stations already feel like permanent construction zones as crews work through the replacements.
What Comes Next
BART says it anticipates replacing roughly six escalators per year as crews work through Market Street and plans a Phase Two that will add downtown Oakland and select Mission Street stations. Measure RR provides the financing to scale the program systemwide, and BART reports steady progress with dozens of units already complete. Riders should expect phased closures at busy portals for the foreseeable future, but officials say the new units and their warranties are meant to make breakdowns much rarer in commuting life.
