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Yesterday, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA) finance, administration and oversight committee preliminarily approved the agency's first infrastructure and rehabilitation program for Metrorail’s system.

Designed to cover all aspects of maintenance repairs system-wide, the $177 million program would begin early next year on the Red Line — the first in a series of contracts for all five Metrorail lines as part of an overall infrastructure renewal plan, WMATA said. The work would involve new escalators at the Dupont Circle South Station; new escalators, a canopy and stairwell at the Foggy Bottom Station; platform slab and tile replacement at the Shady Grove and Rockville stations; and track fastener replacement and new rail insulators between the Medical Center and Grosvenor-Strathmore stations.

Other planned work calls for traction power, automatic train-control system and communications upgrades; tunnel lighting replacements; tunnel ventilation and fire stand-pipe rehabilitation work; public-address system improvements; station wall repairs; air conditioning and ventilation equipment renovations; elevator and escalator rehabilitations; and other work.

WMATA’s board will vote on the program at its July 16 meeting.