Flushing Lines for such a new level. In late 1959, contracts were awarded to extend the platforms at Bowling Green, Wall Street, Fulton Street, Canal Street, Spring Street, Bleecker Street, Astor Place, Grand Central, 86th Street and 125th Street to to accommodate ten-car trains. On March 17, 1964, construction began on a $1 million project to replace three elevators serving the Flushing Line platform with two sets of -wide escalators, on two levels leading to the station mezzanine. The project was estimated to be completed in 22 months, and work began on March 17, with the removal of one of the elevators from service. Following the completion of the first set of escalators in fourteen months, the other two elevators would go out of service. This project was completed on April 3, 1966, with the completion of an escalator that traveled and had a capacity of 18,600 people an hour. The shuttle station suffered a severe fire on April 21, 1964, which destroyed the automated train being tested in the 42nd Street Shuttle at the time. The fire began under a shuttle train on track 3, and it became larger, feeding on the wooden platform. The basements of nearby buildings were damaged. Tracks 1 and 4 returned to service on April 23, 1964, while Track 3 returned to service on June 1, 1964. The reinstallation of Track 3 was delayed because of the need to replace 60 beams that were damaged in the fire. From September 19, 1966, to April 1967, service on the shuttle was limited in order to allow for the reconstruction of parts of the line. The entire project cost $419,000, and included the construction of a new mezzanine at Grand Central. As part of the project, the tiles damaged by the smoke from the fire were replaced with tiles in the city's colors of blue, white and orange, with black tiles interspersed. In addition, fluorescent lighting, which was 12 times brighter than the old lighting, was installed. Track 2 between the shuttle station and Times Square–42nd Street was removed in 1975. 1970s to 1990s The NYCTA announced plans on November 24, 1977, to improve and install new escalators across the subway system, including six new escalators, the reconditioning of three escalators, and the modification of 22 escalators to have automatic treadle operation, which would reduce energy and maintenance costs as they would be activated by a