It was way back in 2012 when news surfaced of hapless missives from BART staffers complaining that the 24th Street Station was overrun with rats. More than four years later, you'll be completely, utterly floored to learn that the station is still suffering an occupation by rodents who are now bold enough to ride the escalator.

"RAT PROBLEMS MAJOR RAT PROBLEMS," wrote a BART employee in a 24th Street Station inspection report from June 12, 2012. June 25 brought news that a staffer was "Greeted this morning by the residential rat. Then a few early morning passengers (older females) were startled (she says it nearly gave her a heart attack) by two (2) rats (not mice). Rats running up down the stairs playing in the plaza (her words)." The following day's message was even more plaintive, as "RATS ARE STILL TAKING OVER THIS STATION."

When reported on back in 2012, longstanding BART spokesperson Jim Allison said that exterminators had been called to deal with the rat situation, exterminators that were evaded by this escalator-riding rat in 2013, or the rats that took over the 16th and Mission descent into BART in 2015.

Or this rat, who recently chose to take the escalator (note to BART: when your elevators are so pee-ridden that even rats disdain them, it's time to get serious about managing those urine issues) was caught on video by YouTube user boxedbunny, as CBS 5 reports.

Say what you will about rats, but this one is clearly smarter than the one caught on tape in 2013, endlessly cycling on another of BART's moving staircases.

Does that mean they they are...learning? Yeah, probably. Give these BART rats four more years, and they'll be writing the blog posts about BART, as I scramble to pull myself out of whatever pit I've been consigned to.

Previously: 16th And Mission BART Plaza 'Overrun' With Rats