Escalator Replacement Project
All seven underground passageways and the elevated walkway are equipped with ascend escalators that have, by normal wear and tear, lived way beyond their service lifespan average of 15 years. This prompted the Board of Governors to embark on a project to retire the old escalators and replace them with brand-new ones.
Because of the size of the capital expenses required to replace 29 escalators, however, the Board took the prudent decision to do it by batches.
The first batch, work on which started in November, involves 11 escalators—two at the Legazpi Underpass, four each at the Paseo de Roxas and Rufino Underpasses, and one at the PLDT gateway of the elevated walkway. They are scheduled to reopen and be pressed to service again in April 2017.
The escalator replacement project will be carried on, a few at a time, until all 29 escalators are replaced.