Hong Kong's escalator system is the world's longest indoor network of moving pavements, stretching over 800 metres, rising up to 135 metres in height along steeply inclined streets linking different areas of Hong Kong Island.
The street escalator was opened in October 1993 at a cost six times the original estimate. The system is not a single solid escalator, it is a series of 20 travelling stairs and 3 inclined travolators. They connect one to the other at pedestrian bridge locations and there are 14 entrances and exits. A journey through the entire length of the escalator system from its starting point to its terminus takes about 20 minutes.
The project, originally called the Hillside Escalator Link, was controversial and was considered a failure in the early days after its launch, as it failed to achieve its main goal of easing congestion between the Central and Midtown levels of the city. However, the system provided an easy and free way to move residents of these districts, commuters and tourists, with passenger traffic rising to more than 55,000 daily, double the preliminary projections. In addition, the street escalator allows easy access to the upper reaches of the hill, which has contributed to the economic and social growth of the neighbourhoods through which it passes.
The escalators run from Queens Road in Central to Conduit Road in Mid-Levels. Due to the small space in the cramped streets, it was not possible to build two escalators. This is why the system only operates downhill from Mid-Levels between 6am and 10am daily, allowing everyone to get to their offices in Central. After 10am the flow reverses and the escalators move upwards until midnight.
A second, 800 metre continuous escalator between Conduit Street and Centre Street in Sai Ying Pun was designed in 1993, and its completion was to coincide with the opening of the nearby Western Harbour Crossing in 1997, but the project was never proceeded with. In 2011, plans were still under review.
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 Mid-Levels.
