Metro has installed colored escalator handrails at the Fort Totten Station to help riders find their way to the right platform, a spokesperson said.
Red handrails were installed on the escalators between the mezzanine and the Red Line platform. Green and yellow handrails were installed on the escalators between the mezzanine and the lower level, where the Green and Yellow trains arrive, according to Metro.
The makeover is a pilot project to test whether colored handrails will help minimize the confusion that happens at stations where multiple lines meet, according to Metro. The program could be helpful at other stations, like L'Enfant Plaza and Metro Center.
Only the Fort Totten station is involved for now. If the idea works, Metro will take additional steps, but they have no specific timeline.
The idea was suggested by Metro’s elevator and escalator team staff. It has sparked many opinions from riders on Twitter.
"You guys. This graphic designer is LOSING HER MIND. The @wmata escalators now have the colors of which line they take you too. Coolest use of colors to actually help people," Jen Scharl said on Twitter.
According to Metro, the project is "essentially cost neutral," because the handrails are replaced every two years, and the cost to select a color is "negligible."
