MARTA reopens Vine City Station escalator after Beyonce concert crowd-surge

ATLANTA –The escalator at MARTA’s Vine City Station is back in service after state investigators and inspectors cleared it following the July 15 crowd-surge incident that resulted in several injuries.

The incident happened just after midnight as thousands of fans were leaving the final Beyoncé Cowboy Carter performance at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Witnesses said a concert goer screamed after spotting a bug, prompting riders to stampede. The sudden surge caused the escalator to overload and speed before stopping, officials said. A state inspection confirmed the next morning the overspeed was the result of “high passenger volume” rather than a mechanical failure. 

At the time of the investigation, motor belts were all present, but some had been dislodged from their pulleys, MARTA stated in a news release today, Aug. 15.  Maintenance records and subsequent interviews confirmed that the escalator had previously been inspected during regular monthly maintenance less than a week before the incident and was found to be fully compliant and performing as expected at that time, with all motor belts in place. The investigation concluded that the sudden passenger load caused the escalator to speed up, the belts to separate from their mechanisms and the emergency brakes to engage. 

Once the investigation was concluded, MARTA and Schindler, a global elevator and escalator manufacturing company, replaced all impacted equipment components, conducted a comprehensive multi-point systems inspection, and undertook rigorous safety checks. The state inspector completed a final safety check and cleared the escalator to return to service.

GWCC Station experiences the highest ridership during events at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, but the Vine City Station frequently sees overflow crowds due to proximity and access to the stadium. On July 14 and in the early hours of July 15, MARTA had additional staff at both rail stations, as it had the three previous nights of Beyoncé concerts.

For all large events, MARTA will:

• Crowd metering measures will be enhanced at high ridership stations, including dedicated staff, barricades, and high visibility signs reminding customers to board escalators one at a time.
• Rail station support staff and police officers will continue to be deployed to high ridership locations.
• MARTA Load and Go teams will continue to be positioned on rail station platforms to assist with train loading and unloading and to prevent platform overcrowding.
• MARTA’s Office of Vertical Transportation (elevators and escalators) and Schindler employees will continue to staff rail stations and MARTA’s Emergency Operations Center to respond when needed.
• MARTA Police will continue to contract with Emergency Medical Services support staff and deploy them to key rail stations to provide immediate medical attention when needed.

“MARTA, Schindler, and the state routinely inspect all escalators, and perform maintenance, repairs, and cleanings on a regular schedule,” said MARTA Chief Safety & Quality Assurance Officer Ralph McKinney. “These units are safe to use, and we ask customers to follow staff and sign instructions and board them single file.”

MARTA is nearing the end of a multi-year systemwide Elevator and Escalator Rehabilitation Program that includes the refurbishment or replacement of every escalator in the system, a total of 150 units at 38 rail stations.