Escalators may not be what comes to mind when you think of mass transit. However, the Mid-Levels Escalator in Hong Kong moves over 70,000 pedestrians each day from one part of the city to another.
I first heard about the Mid-Levels Escalator while watching the film Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong and had to find out more.
Turns out, it’s the world’s longest covered escalator system. In fact, it’s so large and so widely used that shops, bars, and other businesses have sprung up alongside it to take advantage of the built-in foot traffic.
The 800m- (1/2 mile-) series of outdoor escalators and moving walkways connects the Central District’s skyscrapers with the residential area up the hill, known as Mid-Levels.
Just like reversible lanes on a roadway, the direction changes to accommodate the daily commute – one-way escalators moving downhill for the morning rush hours and then uphill the rest of the day.
It opened in 1993 and is currently undergoing renovations a section at a time.
Like a funicular (without any sort of tram car), it’s another clever way to get up a hill!
– More Info –
Hong Kong Mid-Levels Escalator
- History and How-to (a step-by-step journey)
- Why Use the Mid-Levels Escalator
- Construction updates
- Central-Mid-Levels Escalator “Connect‧Community‧Culture” Drawing Competition Artwork
Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong film
- Now available on Amazon Prime
- My review
I was going to say I was sure I’d been on that, except that the trip when I thought I did that was in 1991, before it had opened! I think maybe I was on a cable car. I found it fascinating commuting up this hill/mountain past all these residential houses and apartments. Hong Kong is great. Maybe I need to go back!