Metro riders who have long bemoaned the system’s Foggy Bottom escalators should be able to ride — rather than climb — the moving staircases by next year. The transit agency said it plans to start work Monday to swap out the three existing escalators at the Metrorail station’s sole entrance and squeeze in a new staircase.

The agency also will add a canopy over the entrance, which is a key step that will protect escalators from the elements and guard against future breakdowns.