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The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) has awarded a $151.1 million contract to KONE Corp. to replace or modernize 128 of the system's 588 escalators by 2020 as part of the Metro Forward multi-year capital rebuilding program.

The contract was awarded through a "best value" procurement under which WMATA officials considered factors other than price, including technical excellence and past performance.

The contract award "advances our commitment to improve escalator reliability," said General Manager and Chief Operating Officer Richard Sarles in a prepared statement.

"While we have already seen improvement in escalator availability as a result of better maintenance practices and resources, there are some escalators that are beyond their useful life and need to be replaced or completely overhauled," he said.