Escalator

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Escalators in the Amagerbro station on the Copenhagen Metro, June 2007

Escalator in action, 2011

Access escalators to Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Early escalator, Luna Park, Coney Island, 1909.

An escalator is a type of vertical transportation in the form of a moving staircase which carries
people between floors of a building. It consists of a motor-driven chain of individually linked steps
on a track which cycle on a pair of tracks which keep them horizontal.
Escalators are used around the world in places where lifts would be impractical. Principal areas
of usage include department stores, shopping malls, airports, transit systems (railway/railroad
stations), convention centers, hotels, arenas, stadiums and public buildings.
Escalators have the capacity to move large numbers of people. They can be placed in the same
physical space as a staircase. They have no waiting interval (except during very heavy traffic).
They can be used to guide people toward main exits or special exhibits. They may be
weatherproofed for outdoor use. A nonfunctional escalator can function as a normal staircase,
whereas many other methods of transport become useless when they break down or lose power.

Contents
[hide]

 1Design, components, and operation

o 1.1Operation and layout
o 1.2Design and layout considerations
o 1.3Components
 2Safety
o 2.1Accidents and litigation
o 2.2Legislation
o 2.3Codes and regulation
 3History
o 3.1Inventors and manufacturers
o 3.2Alternate designs
 4Etymology
o 4.1Name development and original intentions
o 4.2Loss of trademark rights
 5Extant historic escalator models
 6Notable examples
o 6.1Longest systems
o 6.2Longest individual escalators
o 6.3Shortest examples
 7Etiquette
 8See also
 9References
 10External links

Design, components, and operation[edit]

Operation and layout[edit]
Escalators typically rise at an angle of about 30 degrees from the ground.[1] They move at 0.3–0.6
metres (1–2 ft) per second (like moving walkways) and may traverse vertical distances in excess
of 18 metres (60 ft). Most modern escalators have single-piece aluminum or stainless steel steps
that move on a system of tracks in a continuous loop.
"Crisscross" layout

"Multiple parallel" layout

"Parallel" layout

Escalators are typically configured in one of three ways: parallel (up and down escalators
adjacent or nearby, often seen in metro stations and multilevel movie theaters), multiple
parallel (banks of more than one escalator going in the same direction parallel to banks going the
other direction), or crisscross (escalators going in one direction "stacked" with escalators going
the opposite direction oriented adjacent but perpendicular, frequently used in department
stores or shopping centers).[2]
Most countries require escalators to have moving handrails that keep pace with the movement of
the steps as a safety measure. This helps riders steady themselves, especially when stepping
onto the moving stairs. Occasionally a handrail moves at a slightly different speed from the steps,
causing it to "creep" slowly forward or backward relative to the steps; it is only slippage and
normal wear that causes such losses of synchronicity, and is not by design.[3]
The direction of escalator movement (up or down) can be permanently set, controlled manually
depending on the predominant flow of the crowd, or controlled automatically. In some setups, the
direction is controlled by whoever arrives first.[citation needed]
Design and layout considerations[edit]
Design factors include physical requirements, location, traffic patterns, safety considerations and
aesthetics. Physical factors such as the distance to be spanned determine the length and pitch of
the escalator, while factors such as the infrastructure's ability to provide support and power must
be considered. How upward and downward traffic is separated and load/unload areas are other
important considerations.
Temporal traffic patterns must be anticipated. Some escalators need only to move people from
one floor to another, but others may have specific requirements, such as funneling visitors
towards exits or exhibits. The visibility and accessibility of the escalator to traffic is relevant.
Designers need to account for the projected traffic volumes. For example, a single-width
escalator traveling at about 0.5 metres (1.5 ft) per second can move about 2000 people per hour,
assuming that passengers ride single file. The carrying capacity of an escalator system is
typically matched to the expected peak traffic demand. For example, escalators at transit stations
must be designed to cater for the peak traffic flow discharged from a train, without excessive
bunching at the escalator entrance.
In this regard, escalators help manage the flow of people. For example, at many airports an
unpaired escalator delivers passengers to an exit, with no means for anyone entering at the exit
to access the concourse.
Escalators are often built next to or around staircases that allow alternative travel between the
same two floors. Elevators are necessary for disability access to floors serviced by escalators.
Components[edit]
Landing platforms[edit]
Landing platforms are the two platforms (at the two ends) that house the curved sections of the
tracks, as well as the gears and motors that drive the stairs. The top platform usually contains the
motor assembly and the main drive gear, while the bottom holds the step return idler
sprockets.[jargon] These sections also anchor the ends of the escalator truss. Each platform also
has a floor and a comb plate. The floor plate provides a place for the passengers to stand before
they step onto the moving stairs, flush with the rest of the floor and usually hinged to allow easy
maintenance access, while the comb plate lies between the stationary floor plate and the moving
step, so named for the cleats on its edge which mesh with the matching cleats on each step (and
resemble a comb). The interlocking cleats help to minimize the gap between the stairs and
landing, preventing objects or persons from becoming caught in it.
Truss[edit]
The truss is the hollow metal structure that bridges the lower and upper landings, composed of
two side sections joined together with cross braces across the bottom and just below the top.
The ends of the truss are attached to the top and bottom landing platforms via steel or concrete
supports. It carries all the straight track sections connecting the upper and lower sections.
Balustrade[edit]
Made of either metal, sandwich panel, or glass, the balustrade supports the handrails of the
escalator. It also provides additional protection for the handrail and passengers. Some escalators
have direction arrows on the ends of the balustrade. Escalators' on/off buttons are frequently
located at the ends of the balustrade. Moving walkways often use balustrades in the same way.
Tracks[edit]
The track system is built into the truss to guide the step chain, which continuously pulls the steps
from the bottom platform and back to the top in an endless loop. One track guides the front
wheels of the steps (called the step-wheel track) and another guides the back wheels of the
steps (called the trailer-wheel track). The relative positions of these tracks cause the steps to
form a staircase as they move out from under the comb plate. Along the straight section of the
truss the tracks are at their maximum distance apart. This configuration forces the back of one
step to be at a 90-degree angle relative to the step behind it. This right angle forces the steps
into a shape resembling a staircase. At the top and bottom of the escalator, the two tracks
converge so that the front and back wheels of the steps are almost in a straight line. This causes
the stairs to lay in a flat sheetlike arrangement, one after another, so they can easily travel
around the bend in the curved section of track. The tracks carry the steps down along the
underside of the truss until they reach the bottom landing, where they pass through another
curved section of track before exiting the bottom landing. At this point, the tracks separate and
the steps once again assume a staircase configuration. This cycle is repeated continually as the
steps are pulled from bottom to top and back to the bottom again.
Steps[edit]
The steps themselves are solid, one piece, die-cast aluminum or steel. Yellow demarcation lines
are sometimes added to indicate their edges. In most escalator models manufactured after 1950,
both the riser and the tread of each step is cleated (given a ribbed appearance) with comb-like
protrusions that mesh with the comb plates on the top and bottom platforms and the succeeding
steps in the chain. Seeberger escalators featured flat treads and smooth risers; other escalator
models have cleated treads and smooth risers. The steps are linked by a continuous metal chain
that forms a closed loop. The front and back edges of the steps each have two wheels, the rear
of which are set further apart and fit into the trailer-wheel track while the front set have narrower
axles and fit the step-wheel track.
Handrail[edit]
The handrail provides a handhold for passengers while they are riding the escalator. The
handrail is pulled along its own track by a chain that is connected to the main drive gear by a
series of pulleys, keeping it at the same speed as the steps. Four distinct sections make up the
rail: at its center is a "slider", also known as a "glider ply," which is a layer of a cotton or synthetic
textile that allows the rail to move smoothly along its track. The "tension member" lies on the
slider and consists of either steel cable or flat steel tape, providing the handrail with tensile
strength and flexibility. The inner components, on top of the tension member, are made of
chemically treated rubber designed to prevent the layers from separating. Finally, the outer
layer—the part that passengers see—is the cover, typically a blend of synthetic polymers and
rubber. Covers are designed to resist degradation from environmental conditions, mechanical
wear and tear and vandalism.
In a factory, handrails are constructed by feeding rubber through an extrusion machine to
produce layers of the required size and type in order to match specific orders. The component
layers of fabric, rubber and steel are shaped by workers before being fed into the presses which
fuse them together.
In the mid-twentieth century, some handrail designs consisted of a rubber bellows, with rings of
smooth metal cladding called "bracelets" between each coil. This gave the handrail a rigid yet
flexible feel. Additionally, each bellows section was no more than a few feet long, so if part of the
handrail was damaged, only the bad segment needed to be replaced. These forms of handrail
have largely been replaced with fabric-and-rubber railings.
Escalator components
An escalator being repaired at Town Hall station in Sydney, Australia

A "freestanding" escalator reveals its inner components through the transparent truss.
Escalator truss connects to the landing platform (lower left). Also visible: exposed drive gears (center)
for steps and handrail drive (left)

View of escalator steps on continuous chain

An escalator equipped with a "bellows" handrail. The bracelets are colored grey, with occasional
strings of black ones to appear as moving spacers.etc

Safety[edit]
Escalator safety guidelines at Taipei Metro.

Escalators have a grip at their side for passengers aboard to hold.

Safety is a major concern in escalator design, as escalators are powerful machines that can
become entangled with clothing and other items. Such entanglements can injure or kill riders.
In India many women wear saris, increasing the likelihood of entangling the clothing's loose end
(pallu).[4] To prevent this, sari guards are built into most escalators in India.
Children wearing footwear such as Crocs and flip-flops are especially at risk of being caught in
escalator mechanisms.[5][6] The softness of the shoe's material combined with the smaller size of
children's feet makes this sort of accident especially common.[7]
Escalators sometimes include fire protection systems including automatic fire detection and
suppression systems within the dust collection and engineer pit. To limit the danger caused by
overheating, spaces that contain motors and gears typically include additional ventilation. Small,
targeted clean agent automatic extinguishing systems are sometimes installed in these areas.
Fire protection of an escalator floor opening is also sometimes provided by adding automatic
sprinklers or fireproof shutters to the opening, or by installing the escalator in an enclosed fire-
protected space.
Accidents and litigation[edit]

Crisscross layout of escalators at Mahboonkrong Center, widely known as the MBK Center, in Bangkok.
Such layouts are used to minimize structural space requirements by "stacking" escalators that go in one
direction.

King’s Cross fire[edit]

Greenford station escalators (2006)

The King's Cross fire of 1987 illustrated the demanding nature of escalator upkeep and the
devices' propensity to collect "fluff" and other small debris when not properly
maintained.[8] The official inquiry determined that the fire started slowly, smoldering virtually
undetected for a time, and then exploded into the ticket hall above in a previously-unrecognised
phenomenon now known as the "trench effect". In the escalators' undercarriage, approximately
8,800 kilograms (19,400 lb) of accumulated detritus acted as a wick to a neglected buildup of
interior lubricants; wood veneers, paper and plastic advertisements, solvent-based paint,
plywood in the ticket hall, and melamine combustion added to the impact of the calamity.[9]
Following the report, older wooden escalators were removed from service in the London
Underground. Additionally, sections of the London Underground that were actually below ground
were made non-smoking; ultimately, the whole system became a smoke-free zone.
Chongqing accident[edit]
In October 2015 on a Thursday morning, a 4-year-old boy suffocated and died in a Chinese train
station in the city of Chongqing, China. The boy was playing with an escalator handrail when he
fell and got stuck underneath it with his chest wedged between the bottom of the handrail and the
ground.[10]
Litigation[edit]

This section needs expansion. You

can help by adding to it. (July 2017)

In the 1930s, at least one suit was filed against a department store, alleging that its escalators
posed an attractive nuisance, responsible for a child’s injury.[11]
Legislation[edit]
United States[edit]
Despite their considerable scope, the two Congressional Acts regarding accessibility
(the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA)) did not
directly affect escalators or their public installations. Since Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
included public transportation systems, for a few years, the United States Department of
Transportation considered designs to retrofit existing escalators for wheelchair access.
Nonetheless, Foster-Miller Associates' 1980 plan, Escalator Modification for the
Handicapped was ultimately ignored in favor of increased elevator installations in subway
systems. Likewise, the ADA provided more accessibility options, but expressly excluded
escalators as "accessible means of egress," advocating neither their removal nor their retention
in public structures.[12]
Codes and regulation[edit]
Notice on escalators in Spain

In the United States and Canada, new escalators must abide by ASME A17.1 standards,[13] and
old/historic escalators must conform to the safety guidelines of ASME A17.3.[14] In Europe, the
escalator safety code is EN115.

History[edit]
Inventors and manufacturers[edit]
Nathan Ames[edit]
Illustration from U.S. Patent#25,076: Revolving Stairs. Issued August 9, 1859, to Nathan Ames

Nathan Ames, a patent attorney from Saugus, Massachusetts, is credited with patenting the first
"escalator" in 1859, despite the fact that no working model of his design was ever built. His
invention, the "revolving stairs", is largely speculative and the patent specifications indicate that
he had no preference for materials or potential use (he noted that steps could be upholstered or
made of wood, and suggested that the units might benefit the infirm within a household use). The
suggested motive power was either manual or hydraulic.[15]
Leamon Souder[edit]
In 1889, Leamon Souder successfully patented the "stairway", an analogous device that featured
a "series of steps and links jointed to each other". No model was ever built.[16]This was the first of
at least four escalator-style patents issued to Souder, including two for spiral designs.[17]
Jesse Wilford Reno, George A. Wheeler, and Charles Seeberger[edit]
On March 15, 1892, Jesse W. Reno patented the "Endless Conveyor or Elevator."[18] A few
months after Reno's patent was approved, George A. Wheeler patented his ideas for a more
recognizable moving staircase, though it was never built.[19] Wheeler’s patents were bought
by Charles Seeberger; some features of Wheeler’s designs were incorporated in Seeberger’s
prototype that was built by the Otis Elevator Company in 1899.
Reno, a graduate of Lehigh University, produced the first working escalator (called the "inclined
elevator") and installed it alongside the Old Iron Pier at Coney Island, New York City in
1896.[20] This particular device was little more than an inclined belt with cast-iron slats or cleats on
the surface for traction, and traveled along a 25 degree incline. A few months later, the same
prototype was used for a month-long trial period on the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge.
Reno eventually joined forces with Otis and retired once he had sold his patents. Some Reno-
type escalators were still being used in the Boston subway until construction for the Big
Dig precipitated their removal. The Smithsonian Institution considered re-assembling one of
these historic units from 1914 in their collection of Americana, but "logistics and reassembly
costs won out over nostalgia," and the project was discarded.[21]
Around May 1895, Charles Seeberger began drawings on a form of escalator similar to those
patented by Wheeler in 1892. This device consisted of flat, moving stairs, not unlike the
escalators of today, except for one important detail: the step surface was smooth, with no comb
effect to safely guide the rider's feet off at the ends. Instead, the passenger had to step off
sideways. To facilitate this, at the top or bottom of the escalator the steps continued moving
horizontally beyond the end of the handrail (like a miniature moving sidewalk) until they
disappeared under a triangular "divider" which guided the passenger to either side. Seeberger
teamed with Otis in 1899, and together they produced the first commercial escalator. It won first
prize at the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle. Also on display at the Exposition were Reno's
inclined elevator, a similar model by James M. Dodge and the Link Belt Machinery Co., and two
different devices by the French manufacturers Hallé and Piat.
Early European manufacturers: Hallé, Hocquardt and Piat[edit]
Piat installed its "stepless" escalator in Harrods Knightsbridge store on Wednesday, November
16, 1898, though the company relinquished its patent rights to the department store. Noted by
Bill Lancaster in The Department Store: a Social History, "customers unnerved by the experience
were revived by shopmen dispensing free smelling salts and cognac."[22] The Harrods unit was a
continuous leather belt made of "224 pieces . . . strongly linked together traveling in an upward
direction," and was the first "moving staircase" in England.[23]
Hocquardt received European patent rights for the Fahrtreppe in 1906. After the Exposition, Hallé
continued to sell its escalator device in Europe but was eventually eclipsed in sales by other
major manufacturers.
American manufacturers and nomenclature[edit]
In the first half of the twentieth century, several manufacturers developed their own escalator
products, though they had to market their devices under different names, due to Otis’ hold on the
trademark rights to the word "escalator." New York-based Peelle Company called their models
the Motorstair, while Westinghouse called their model an Electric Stairway. The Toledo-based
Haughton Elevator company referred to their product as simply Moving Stairs. The Otis
trademark is no longer in effect.
Mergers and buyouts: the playing field narrows[edit]
Kone and Schindler introduced their first escalator models several decades after the Otis
Elevator Co., but grew to dominate the field over time. Today, they, Mitsubishi,
and ThyssenKrupp are Otis' primary rivals.
Kone expanded internationally by acquisition in the 1970s, buying out Swedish elevator
manufacturer Asea-Graham, and purchasing other minor French, German and Austrian elevator
makers before assuming control of Westinghouse’s European elevator business. As the last of
the "big four" manufacturers to emerge onto the global market, Kone first acquired Montgomery
Elevator company, then took control of Germany’s Orenstein & Koppel Rolltreppen.[citation needed]
In the twenty-first Schindler became the largest maker of escalators and second largest maker of
elevators in the world, though their first escalator installation did not occur until 1936.[24] In 1979,
the company entered the United States market by purchasing Haughton Elevator. A decade
later, Schindler assumed control of the North American escalator/elevator operations of
Westinghouse, forming Schindler's American division.
Alternate designs[edit]
Spiral/helical[edit]

A spiral escalator in Times Square, Hong Kong

Jesse Reno also designed the first escalators installed in any underground subway system in the
form of a helical escalator at Holloway Road tube station in London in 1906. The experimental
device never saw public use and its remains are now in the London Transport Museum's depot
in Acton.[25][26]
Although the first fully operational spiral escalator, Reno’s design was nonetheless only one in a
series of similar proposed contraptions. Souder patented two helical designs, while Wheeler
drafted helical stairway plans in 1905. Seeberger devised at least two helical designs between
1906 and 1911 (including an unrealized arrangement for the London Underground), and Gilbert
Luna obtained West German, Japanese, and United States patents for his version of a spiral
escalator by 1973. When interviewed for the Los Angeles Times that year, Luna was in the
process of soliciting major firms for acquisition of his patents and company, but statistics are
unclear on the outcome of these endeavors.[27] Karl-Heinz Pahl received a European and a US
patent for a spiral escalator in 1992.[28]

Spiral Escalator US Patent 5,158,167 (Pahl 1992) Drawing

The Mitsubishi Electric Corporation was most successful in its development of spiral/helical
escalators, and it alone has sold them since the mid-1980s. The world's first practical spiral
escalator—a Mitsubishi model—was installed in Osaka, Japan, in 1985.[29]
Helixator, an experimental spiral/helical escalator design which currently exists as a prototype
scale model, could further reduce floor space demands. Its design has several innovations that
allow a continuous helix; driven by a linear motor instead of a chain system, it spreads force
evenly along the escalator path, avoiding excessive force on the top chain links and hence
avoiding the geometry, length and height limits of standard escalators.[30]
Freeform[edit]
Levytator, a design originating at City University in London, can move in straight lines or curves
with or without rising or descending. The returning steps do not move underneath the in-use
steps: rather, they provide steps for travel in the opposite direction, as in the Pahl spiral escalator
patent.[31]

Etymology[edit]
Authors and historians have offered multiple interpretations of the source of the word “escalator”,
and some degree of misinformation then proliferated. For reference, contradictory citations by
seven separate individuals, including the Otis Elevator Company itself, are provided below.[32]
Name development and original intentions[edit]
Seeberger trademarked the word "escalator" in 1900, to coincide with his device’s debut at
the Exposition Universelle. According to his own account, in 1895, his legal counsel advised him
to name his new invention, and he then set out to devise a title for it. As evidenced in
Seeberger's handwritten documents, the inventor consulted "a Latin lexicon" and "adopted as the
root of the new word, 'Scala'; as a prefix, 'E' and as a suffix, 'Tor.'"[33] His own rough translation of
the word thus created was "means of traversing from," and he intended for the word to be
pronounced, "es‧ʹkæl‧ə‧tər" (es-CAL-a-tor). By 1906, Seeberger noted that the public had
instead come to pronounce it "escə‧lāʹ‧tər" (es-ca-LĀ-tor).[34]
"Escalator" was not a combination of other French or Greek words, and was never a derivative of
"elevator" in the original sense, which means "one who raises up, a deliverer" in
Latin.[35] Similarly, the root word "scala" does not mean "a flight of steps", but is the singular form
of the plural noun "scalae", which can denote any of: "a flight of steps or stairs, a staircase; a
ladder, [or] a scaling-ladder."[35]
The alleged intended capitalization of "escalator" is likewise a topic of debate. Seeberger’s
trademark application lists the word not only with the "E", but also with all of the letters
capitalized (in two different instances), and he specifies that "any other form and character of
type may be employed . . . without altering in any essential manner the character of [the] trade-
mark."[36] That his initial specifications are ostensibly inconsistent. Otis Elevator Co.
advertisements so frequently capitalized all of the letters in the word.
Loss of trademark rights[edit]
See also: Genericized trademark
In 1950, the landmark case Haughton Elevator Co. v. Seeberger precipitated the end of Otis's
exclusive reign over the word "escalator", and simultaneously created a cautionary study for
companies and individuals interested in trademark retention.[37] Confirming the contention of the
Examiner of Trademark Interferences, Assistant Commissioner of Patents Murphy’s decision
rejected Otis’ appeal to keep their trademark intact, and noted that "the term 'escalator' is
recognized by the general public as the name for a moving stairway and not the source thereof",
observing that Otis had "used the term as a generic descriptive term . . . in a number of patents
which [had] been issued to them and . . . in their advertising matter."[38] All trademark protections
were removed from the word "escalator", the term was officially genericized, and it fell into
the public domain.

Extant historic escalator models[edit]

Macy's Herald Square store in New York City holds some well-known historic escalators. The model shown
here, retrofitted with metal steps in the 1990s, is among the oldest of the store's 40 escalators. Otis "L-type"
escalators with distinctive wood treads (not shown) have operated in the store since 1927.
Wooden treads on a 1930s Otis escalator, formerly at Wynyard railway station, Sydney, Australia

Notable examples of historic escalators still in operation include:

Europe

 St Anna Pedestrian Tunnel underneath the Scheldt river

in Antwerp, Belgium. Opened 1933.
 Maastunnel's bicycle/pedestrian tunnel, adjacent to its car tunnel
in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Opened 1942.
 Tyne Cyclist and Pedestrian Tunnel, Tyne and Wear, England.
Made 1951.[39][40]
North America

 Macy's Herald Square department store upwards

escalators, New York, USA. Opened 1920s.[41][42]

Notable examples[edit]
Longest systems[edit]

 Central-Mid-Levels escalator, 2,600 feet (790 m): in Hong Kong,

tens of thousands of commuters travel each work day
between Central and the Mid-levels, a residential district
hundreds of feet uphill, using this long distance system of
escalators and moving walkways. It is the world's longest
outdoor escalator system (not a single escalator span). It goes
only one way at a time; the direction reverses depending on
rush hour traffic direction.
 In December 2011, a network of six escalators of 1,260 feet
(380 m) length, equivalent to 28 stories high, was opened
in Medellín, Colombia, offering the 12,000 residents of Comuna
13 a six-minute ride to the city center compared to the previous
35-minute climb on foot.
 Cascade, Yerevan: an escalator system of 774 ft (236 m) length
and 387 ft (118 m) height.
 Ocean Park, Hong Kong: a long escalator system connecting
two parts of the Park, with an overall length of 730 feet (220 m).
Longest individual escalators[edit]
The longest escalators in the Western Hemisphere, at the Wheaton station, Washington DC Metro

World[edit]

 The longest escalators in the world are installed in deep

underground stations of the Saint Petersburg Metro.
The Ploshchad Lenina, Chernyshevskaya,
and Admiralteyskayastations have escalators up to 138 m
(453 ft) long and 69 m (226 ft) high.
 The longest freestanding (supported only at the ends) escalator
in the world is inside CNN Center’s atrium in Atlanta. It rises 8
stories and is 205 feet (62 m) long. Originally built as the
entrance to the amusement park The World of Sid and Marty
Krofft, the escalator is now used for CNN studio tours.[43][44]
Asia[edit]

 The Rustaveli station in the Tbilisi Metro has one of the world's
longest escalators. It is 60 metres (197 ft) high and 120 metres
(394 ft) long.
 One of the longest single escalators in Asia are
in Chongqing, China. It joins the Chongqing Rail
Transit underground station Lianglukou with the overground
railway station at Caiyuanba. The escalator is 112 m (367 ft)
long and has a transit time of about 2 minutes 30 seconds. The
ride costs 2 yuan. Due to the hilly nature of Chongqing, the
underground railway station is at the top of the escalator while
the overground station is at the bottom.
 The longest escalator in Bangkok, Thailand and Southeast
Asia is in the MRT's Si Lom Station. It connects the concourse
level with platform 1 which in turn connects to Hua Lam Phong.
It is 43 m (141 ft) in length and 21.5 m (71 ft) in depth.
Australia[edit]

 The longest set of single-span uninterrupted escalators in the

Southern Hemisphere is at Parliament underground railway
station in Melbourne.
Europe[edit]

 Three stations in Saint Petersburg Metro have escalators up to

138 m (453 ft) long and 69 m (226 ft) high: Ploshchad
Lenina, Chernyshevskaya, and Admiralteyskaya.
 In the Park Pobedy station of the Moscow Metro, the escalators
are 126.8 m (416 ft) or 740 steps long, and 63.4 m (208 ft) high.
It takes three minutes to transit.
  The longest escalator in Prague, and in the European Union, is
at the Náměstí Míru station at 285 feet (87 m) long and 142.5
feet (43.4 m) high.[45]
 The longest escalators in Western Europe are in
the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg with a length of 82 m (269 ft), in
Helsinki Koivusaari Metro Station (76 m; 249 ft), in Helsinki
Airport Railway Station(74 m; 243 ft),[46] and at Stockholm
Metro station Västra skogen (67 m; 220 ft).[47]
 The tallest escalator on the London Underground system is
at Angel station with a length of 200 feet (61 m), and a vertical
rise of 90 feet (27 m).[48]
 The longest wooden escalators in the United Kingdom are at
the Tyne Tunnel, with a length of 197 feet (60 m). (See above)
 The longest escalator of a European shopping mall is at
MyZeil, Frankfurt, Germany, with a length of 150 feet (46 m).
 The largest "single truss escalator" is in the Bentall
Centre in Kingston upon Thames in Greater London, UK. It
connects the ground floor with the second floor with top and
bottom supports.[citation needed]
North and South America[edit]

 The longest set of single-span uninterrupted escalators in the

Western Hemisphere is at Wheaton station on the Washington
Metro Red Line. They are 230 feet (70 m)[49][50] long with a
vertical rise of 115 feet (35 m),[50] and take what is variously
described as 2 minutes and 45 seconds[citation needed] or nearly three-
and-a-half minutes,[51] to ascend or descend without walking.
 When it opens on November 2, 2018, the longest single-span
escalator in a Canadian Transit system will be at the Rideau
Station of the Confederation Line in Ottawa. The escalator will
be 35.3 metres (116 ft) in length with a rise of 15.8 metres (52 ft)
and 181 steps.[52]
Shortest examples[edit]
According to Guinness, the shortest escalator in the world is the "Puchicalator" in the Okadaya
Mores shopping mall in Kawasaki Japan. Its vertical rise is 32.8 inches (83 cm) and has 5 steps.

Spiral escalators in the Yokohama Minato Mirai 21, Japan

 Westfield San Francisco Centre, San Francisco, California,

United States — the first spiral escalator in the Western
Hemisphere.[53]
  Westfield Garden State Plaza, Paramus, New Jersey, United
States — one of the shortest escalators in North America. This
escalator leads to the entrance of the JCPenneystore.[54]

Etiquette[edit]
Main article: Escalator etiquette
See also: Right- and left-hand traffic

Riders stand to the right on this escalator in Umeda, Osaka, Japan

In most major countries, the expectation is that escalator users wishing to stand keep to one side
to allow others to climb past them on the other. Germany, Hong Kong, Taiwan,[55] the United
Kingdom,[56] and the United States have been cited as countries where riders are expected to
stand on the right and walk on the left.[57] However, in Australia and New Zealand, the opposite is
the case.[58] Practice may differ from city to city within countries – in Osaka, riders stand on the
right, whereas in Tokyo (and most other Japanese cities), riders stand on the left.[59]
In certain high-traffic systems, including the East Japan Railway Company and the Prague
metro, escalator users are encouraged to stand on whichever side they choose, with the aim of
preventing wear and tear and asymmetrical burdening.[60] All Tokyo metro stations also have
posters next to the escalators that ask users not to walk but instead to stand on either side.
The practice of standing on one side and walking on the other may cause uneven wear on
escalator mechanisms.[61][62]

See also[edit]
 Central–Mid-Levels escalator and walkway system
 Elevator
 Funicular
 Moving walkway
 People mover
 Shopping cart conveyor
 Stairlift
 Wheelchair lift

References[edit]
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7. Jump up^ "Experts recommend caution when wearing Crocs -
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11. Jump up^ ”Negligence: Escalator Not an Attractive
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12. Jump up^ ”ADA Requirements, November 23, 1998,” U.S.
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19. Jump up^ us 479864 Wheeler, G. A., "Elevator", August 2, 1892
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 Day of Great Northern Picadilly and Brompton Railway, December
15, 1906."
26. Jump
up^ http://www.ltmcollection.org/photos/photo/photo.html?_IXSR_
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34. Jump up^ De Fazio, 60.
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(BNA) 80–81 (Dec. Comm. Pat. 1950).
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Britain designed specifically for cyclists, they were also the longest
in the United Kingdom. At most, they may be the longest extant
wooden escalators in the world, though they are no longer in
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40. Jump up^ "Tyne Tunnel Construction History". Archived from the
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the seventh stories.
 42. Jump up^ Dunlap, David W. (2015-11-25). "Latest Miracle on
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eskalátory" (PDF). DP Kontakt (1/2008). Prague public transport
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External links[edit]
 Look up escalator in
Wiktionary, the free
dictionary.

Wikiquote has quotations

related to: Escalators

Wikimedia Commons has

media related to Escalators.

 A videoclip: escalators with transparent sides showing the

mechanism in operation.
 Winchester, Clarence, ed. (1936), "How escalators
work", Railway Wonders of the World, pp. 343–348 illustrated
description of escalators on the London Underground and their
advantages over lifts

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