Sydney Gets Longest Escalators In Southern Hemisphere

The longest escalators in the Southern Hemisphere will help thousands of riders as they head to connect with a metro line in Sydney, Australia, Brisbane Times reports. Construction workers have been installing the escalators, which will take thousands of riders per hour, 27 m between the upper level down to the rail line. The city’s metro train line is expected to open in three years. The escalators, from TK Elevator, form part of the City and Southwest metro rail line from Chatswood, under Sydney Harbour to the CBD and onto Sydenham and Bankstown. Central Station has a total of nine escalators at the new metro station under construction. Each escalator is 45 m long and weighs more than 26 mT. The metro platforms are included in an AUD944-million (US$672-million) project to upgrade Central Station. “Central Walk” is an 80-m-long pedestrian link that will connect light rail passengers with suburban and metro trains, once they are operating. It will also connect riders with buses and regional services. It is scheduled to open in the final quarter of 2022.