Dying for sunlight. (Photo: flickr/brownpau)

The new escalator at Foggy Bottom's Metro station is a victory for WMATA, a truly great step considering it's the first new one installed in any stations in about 15 years. But as the chief WMATA spokesperson told me earlier this week, the installation of the second escalator is beginning this week, and this photo from earlier today should be no unfamiliar sight to the passengers who have to hustle up the Foggy Bottom escalators. The sight is a reminder that there'll always be those stresses in mass transit, even as victories happen. I don't blame Metro for this crowd — the deluge of riders was and will continue to be inevitable as WMATA continues its $6 million project at Foggy Bottom throughout 2011. At the end, we'll at least have three new escalators, a canopy, and a staircase to show for it.

In the photo above, the new escalator is located on the far left, and the second escalator is the one currently shut down for construction work. Work on the second elevator was scheduled to have begun on Wednesday, giving Foggy Bottom commuters a full two days to enjoy their three working escalators.

In all the cheering over the new escalator, it's hilarious and sad to see such a familiar vision of Foggy Bottom once again. Cheers to new improvements.