Real-time elevator and escalator status for every DC Metro station — updated every 30 seconds.
Accessibility, elevator reliability, and how to navigate the Metro when units are out of service.
The DC Metro system has over 600 escalators and 300 elevators — one of the largest collections of any transit system in the world. Many were installed when the system opened between 1976 and 2001. WMATA is in the middle of a multi-year capital program to replace and modernize units across the system, prioritizing the oldest and highest-traffic stations.
Many Metro escalators are decades old and face a combination of heavy daily ridership, outdoor weather exposure (rain, snow, debris), and the unique engineering demands of serving some of the deepest stations in North America. Wheaton (230 feet deep) and Forest Glen (196 feet) on the Red Line have some of the longest single-span escalators in the Western Hemisphere — these extra-long units are under far greater mechanical stress than standard escalators. WMATA's ongoing capital program is replacing the oldest units first, but the scale of the system means outages will continue during the modernization process.
If you rely on an elevator and it's out of service at your station, you have several options: check this page to find the nearest station with working elevators, ask a station manager for assistance (they can arrange accessible shuttle service in some cases), or contact WMATA at (202) 637-7000 for real-time accessibility help. WMATA is required to provide alternative accessible routes when elevators are out of service at stations with no other accessible path.
This page polls the WMATA Elevator and Escalator Incidents API every 30 seconds. Outage data includes the station name, unit location within the station (e.g., "platform to mezzanine"), the reported symptom, and the time the unit went out of service. Updates appear in real time without needing to refresh the page.
Green (All Working) means every elevator and escalator at the station is operational — full accessibility. Yellow (Escalator Out) means one or more escalators are down but all elevators are working — the station remains wheelchair accessible. Red (Elevator Out) means at least one elevator is out of service, which may affect wheelchair and mobility-device access to the platform. Stations showing red should be approached with caution by riders who depend on elevators.
You can report broken units to WMATA by calling (202) 637-7000, using the WMATA mobile app, or telling a station manager. Reports help WMATA prioritize repairs and dispatch maintenance crews. The outage data shown on this page comes from WMATA's official incident reporting system and may take a few minutes to reflect newly reported issues.