It took five months for the CTA to rip up the old Red Line railroad south of Roosevelt Road, put new tracks down and add elevators to three South Side stations.
It will take less than four months combined for the CTA to repair and beautify the Damen and California Blue Line stops on the West Side.
But to fix one broken escalator at the Monroe Blue Line stop in the Loop? That will take at least six months, the CTA said.
In June, the CTA removed the escalator, which connects the platform to the turnstiles on the south end of the station at the Adams Street entrance. There is a working escalator at the north end of the station at the Madison Street entrance. The station does not have elevators.
The CTA said the Monroe escalator dates back to when the Blue Line subway opened more than 65 years ago and needs a complete overhaul.
“Parts are on order, however, given the age of the equipment, some of the components are not readily available and will take longer to procure,” CTA spokeswoman Catherine Hosinski said in an e-mail to RedEye. “Work cannot begin until all parts are received.”
Hosinski anticipates work beginning late this year and the escalator back in service early next year. The CTA said the fix will cost nearly $482,000.
In the meantime, some CTA riders have taken to social media to complain about the time it is taking to fix the escalator.
In September, one rider complained on Twitter that the sign next to the escalator said work would be complete in September. The sign now says that the escalator will be ready at a not-yet determined date.
In June, in response to another rider complaint, the agency said on Twitter it expected work to be done in August or September.
This is not the first lengthy fix for an escalator. Last month, the CTA said an escalator damaged at the O’Hare stop, in a Blue Line train derailment, would be installed sometime next year. The crash occurred in March.
