Hacıosman Metro Station, Istanbul, Turkey

3. Escalators, New Construction

submitted by Begoña Flores, ThyssenKrupp Elevator Southern Europe, Africa and Middle East

Put in service in 1876, Istanbul’s Tünel subterranean urban rail line is the second oldest in the world (after London). However, despite the fact that several plans and studies were made for new routes following the first line, they were put on hold until 1987. Construction of the Istanbul Metro on the European side of the city began in 1992, but due to construction delays from the numerous archeological sites discovered during the drilling process, the first part of the system was not opened until 2000.

Currently, Istanbul Metro is an important part of the city’s rail network, which consists of light rail, tramway, funicular and commuter rail. Twenty km of its fully underground line is in operation, and 24 km (with 22 stations) more is under construction. Levent-Ayazag˘a Metro, Lot 2 is one of the system’s major routes on the European side. The line is part of the M2 route and connected across approximately 20 km to S¸is¸hane station in Beyog˘lu. Lot 2 consists of three underground stations, including Hacıosman Station, having the largest number of passenger-transportation units in the entire metro network. This station is located on the way to Tarabya from Maslak, one of the main traffic axes of the city. High passenger demand in this station is met with the installation of 48 escalators and four elevators at seven different floor levels.

ThyssenKrupp Elevator Turkey was awarded the escalator contract for Lot 2 in June 2008. Although the contract initially included only two stations, Hacıosman Station was added to its scope in the last quarter of 2009. Supply of such a large number of units in one station required vigorous planning. Installation, tests and commissioning stages were carried out as smoothly as possible.

ThyssenKrupp Elevator supplied its Tugela escalator, developed for operation at trade fairs, congress centers, airports and railway stations. It is suitable for continuous operation in both directions. Working 20 hr. a day and seven days a week, the product’s operational life is estimated at approximately 25 years. Six of the units are designated “class II,” while the remaining 42, located on the inside of the station, are designed for indoor use.

All units are equipped with variable-voltage, variable-frequency (VVVF) energy frequency converters. VVVF saves energy by reducing speed when no passengers are being carried. The moving step band permanently signals the escalator is ready, and a light barrier in the skirt controls the speed. When a passenger walks through the light barrier, the escalator switches from idling to nominal speed. With VVVF, energy consumption of the units can be decreased by significant percentages. Hacıosman Station’s seven floors necessitated the escalators’ rise between 4,175 and 12,024 mm. Those with a rise of up to 7,000 mm were installed without intermediate support, while one support was used for units with a 7,000-12,000-mm rise, and two supports were used for those with a higher rise. The project was also made unique due to it being the largest order for one station in the Istanbul Metro, and short delivery and installation time, with work completed in May 2011.

Specifications

• Number of units: 48
• Rise: 4,175-12,024 mm
• Inclination: 30°
• Pallet width: 1,000 mm
• Speed: 0.5 mps for < 9,000-mm rise; 0.65 mps for > 9,000-mm rise
• Arrangement: Single
• Working condition: Reversible
• Flat step: Three
• Power supply: 220/380 V at 50 Hz, three-phase
• Steps/pallets: Die-cast aluminum step, silver/gray powder coated
• Corrosion protection main truss: Galvanized
• Bottom plate: 5-mm galvanized bottom-plate soffit
• Balustrade: 2-mm 304-ga. stainless steel
• Skirt: 3-mm steel sheet with black anti-friction coating for indoor escalators; 2-mm 304-ga. stainless steel for outdoor escalators
• Combplates and cover plates: Ribbed aluminum with black grooves
• Handrail: Black with nylon lining
• Handrail guide rail: Stainless steel
• Drive: Worm gear with flanged IP54 VVVF motor, duplex chain
• Step-chain lubrication: With lubrication device
• Standard: EN 115-2004
• Control: programmable-logic controller with diagnostic device and fault display
• Radius of transition: Bottom: 2,000 mm, top: 2,600 mm for R ≤ 10 m escalators; bottom: 2,000 mm, top: 3,000 mm for R > 10 m escalators
• Protective covers: Included for step and drive chains, and motor flywheel
• Contacts: 10, voltage free (in controller)
• Fault display: One in interior decking profile top
• Cable: Halogen free
• ·  Key switches: Both landings

Credits

• Owner: Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality
• Client/contractor: Alarko Makyol Joint Venture
• Consultant: Yüksel Proje Uluslar arası A.S¸.
• Metro system operator: Ulas¸ım A.S¸.
• Equipment manufacturer: ThyssenKrupp Airport Systems Co. (Zhongshan) Ltd.
• Equipment installer: ThyssenKrupp Elevator Turkey
• Head of project management: Volkan Sofuoglu of ThyssenKrupp Elevator Turkey