Sensors to counter frequent escalator stoppage at Mumbai railway stations

Mumbai: Central Railway has decided to install digital sensors in all escalators on the main and harbour lines to counter the problem of frequent stoppages. Sensors that can be used to restart escalators remotely will be installed on all the 164 escalators on these routes over the first two months of 2025, said CR officials. This will help bring down the waiting time for restarting escalators from the current 25-30 minutes to 2-5 minutes, the officials added.

The decision was taken following an internal study by CR spanning escalators in the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) to Karjat/ Kasara and CSMT to Panvel corridors. The study showed that each escalator stops 128 times a month on average, out of which 110 times, it is stopped manually by pressing the red button on the handle, inconveniencing countless commuters, especially the elderly and differently abled.

Most instances of escalator stoppage occur on platforms where long distance trains make a halt, said CR officials. “Most commonly, it is the elderly, women, nuisance creators and coolies who knowingly or unknowingly press the red button to switch off escalators. At times, footage from CCTVs installed near escalators helps us identify the culprits, but since there is no mechanism to levy fine on them under the Railway Act, we cannot do anything,” said an official.

As per standard procedure, each time an escalator stops, it is brought to the notice of the concerned station master by the railway staff or through CCTV footage. The station master then deploys the designated person to restart the escalator, or gets it repaired with help of private contractors in case of technical issues.

“The process of restarting escalators takes 25-30 minutes now. But after the technological upgrade, we will be able to do so remotely from the control office via internet of things (IoT) within just 2-5 minutes,” said another CR official.