Elevators are indispensable in public places like railway stations where hundreds of passengers embark and disembark the trains every day. However, repeated and continuous use results in wear and tear of these accessibility systems, all the more reason why timely and efficient elevator inspection, maintenance and repair is critical.
According to recent reports, the local Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and Amtrak station are facing serious elevator maintenance issues. The Route 128 commuter rail and Amtrak station in Westwood has perpetual problem related to broken elevators and escalators, say users. Some of the issues passengers and viewers reported are:
- The station is not fully operable
- Escalators for both platforms and one of the station’s two lifts have been out of service for months
- Multiple elevators and escalators have been out of service there for months, and in some cases, for years
- During the winter, a passenger could not get to the platform he needed because both the elevator and the escalator reaching it were broken
- The escalator from track 2 to the pedestrian walkway has never worked
- The elevators were last inspected in July 2014 and issues that occurred after that have not been addressed, according to one report
Amtrak spokesman Craig Schulz says that the company has already started a project to replace both the devices so that they won’t break down so often. The two escalators are still broken but both the lifts are currently working. As part of the replacement process, the company will be taking the lift on Platform 2 out of service. Riders will be provided extra help during that time by directly driving passengers from Platform 2 to the front door of the station.
It is expected that new elevators will be installed at the Route 128 Station by the end of mid-September, and the new escalators will be in place by early next year.