Description of the attraction
The Hong Kong Escalator System is the world's longest covered network of moving sidewalks, spanning more than 800 meters, rising up to 135 meters in steep, sloping streets linking different areas of Hong Kong Island.
The street escalator was opened in October 1993, and the construction cost was six times the original estimate. The system is not a one-piece continuous escalator, it is a series of 20 movable stairs and 3 inclined travelators. They are connected to one another at the places of pedestrian bridges, there are 14 entrances and exits. The journey through the entire length of the escalator system from the start to the end point takes about 20 minutes.
The project, originally called Hillside Escalator Link, was controversial and was considered a failure in the early days after launch. did not achieve the main goal of easing congestion between the Central and Mid-level levels of the city. However, the system provided an easy and free way to move residents of these counties, passengers and tourists, and passenger traffic grew to more than 55,000 people daily, more than double preliminary estimates. In addition, the outdoor escalator allows easy access to the top points of the hill, which has contributed to the economic and social growth of the areas through which it passes.
Escalators run from Queens Road in Central to Conduit Road in Mid Levels. Due to the small space in the narrow streets, it was impossible to build two escalators. That is why the system works only on the descent from the average level from 6 to 10 am daily, which allows everyone to get to their offices in Central. After 10 am, the stream reverses and the escalators move up until midnight.
The second, 800-meter continuous escalator between Conduit Street and Center Street in Sai Ying Poon was designed in 1993, and its completion was to coincide with the opening of the nearby port of Western Harbor Crossing in 1997, but neither did not start. In 2011, plans were still under consideration.
For tourists, the escalator ride is a great potential to explore the bustling streets of Central Hong Kong, the oldest shopping, antique and art district, its museums, old buildings, and the contrasting, quieter level of Mid Levels.
