Enhancing the quality of urban living in San Francisco

Calm and focused, Virol Providence works on the inner mechanics of a Schindler 9700 escalator at Montgomery Street metro station on the BART network, as thousands of commuters rush past toward the trains or out onto the street.

BART has been an integral part of the Bay Area since 1973, connecting the San Francisco Peninsula with major cities in the East Bay and South Bay, including Oakland and San José. Spanning 131 miles, BART is an essential transit link for commuters going to work, tourists visiting landmarks, and students heading to world-renowned universities.

Since 2020, Schindler teams in California have played a key role in this massive underground modernization project, retrofitting 41 escalators across four BART stations-Embarcadero, Montgomery Street, Powell Street, and Civic Center. Located beneath the legendary Market Street in downtown San Francisco, these are the busiest of all 48 BART stations in terms of passenger volume.

Virol Providence is one of the team leaders on the project. When he's not working on the equipment, he oversees logistics and site organization. He's been with Schindler since 1999 and offers a seasoned perspective:

Beyond the escalators themselves, the team handles critical support tasks-like setting up barriers to ensure constant safety in the stations.

Twenty-three escalators lead from street level down to the concourse level. From there, passengers descend via another 18 escalators to the platforms. Of these 41 units, the teams are modernizing 23 using the proprietary Schindler INTRUSS® method, which retains the existing structural frame ("truss"), while replacing worn-out components with new, modern parts-steps, drives, controls, as well as safety and comfort features. After the upgrade, which is expected to be completed by 2027, it would take a trained eye to distinguish these escalators from brand-new ones-thanks to their improved safety, performance, and energy efficiency features, and modern appearance.

Another eight escalators have been fully replaced, and nine brand-new ones have been installed. The Schindler 9700 model selected for these upgrades was engineered for durability and long-term performance, and worldwide, it has proven itself in high-traffic public areas and even against vandalism.

For Schindler's technicians, the BART project feels deeply personal. They're all from the Bay Area and have used the metro since childhood. "BART has always been here-it's part of the Bay Area," service technician Matthew Wyder says enthusiastically: "I don't have to explain to my family and friends what I'm working on. I just say 'BART,' and they get it."

His colleague Andrew Fowler has also forged a personal connection with the metro network: "As a child, I used to ride this exact escalator. Now I'm here making sure it works perfectly."