One DCist reader couldn’t help but notice something new on his commute through the Friendship Heights Metro station this morning — this incredibly bright light fixture. The reader, who didn’t want to be named in this post, called the new lights “far too bright” for a Metro station, which has always had a trademark of being indirectly lit.

We knew that Metro had been installing some new lighting along platforms around the system, but were admittedly unaware about this new kind of fixture — so we asked Metro spokesperson Dan Stessel about it.

“Those lights are new,” Stessel — who we do have to credit for taking a break from preparing for an oncoming hurricane to answer a question about station lighting — confirmed. “They’re being installed on select pylons near escalators to provide additional light for safety reasons. Usually they’re installed as rehab of escalator units before the new ones are put into service.”

They do appear to project quite a bit of white light — do you agree with our tipster who thinks this kind of light could overwhelm the platform?