Sensors To Combat Escalator Delays at Mumbai Railway Stations

Sensors that will be used to restart escalators remotely will be installed on all 164 escalators on Mumbai, India, Central Railway (CR) routes over the first two months of 2025, the Hindustan Times reports. According to Rajnish Goyal, Divisional Railway Manager of CR’s Mumbai division, more than 150 escalators at suburban stations were shut down nearly 21,000 times every month on average, with approximately 18,000 of the incidents being attributed to misuse of the stop button. The digital sensors will be installed in all escalators on the main and harbor lines, which will help reduce the waiting time for restarting escalators from the current 25-30 min to 2-5 min, said CR officials. The decision was taken following an internal study by CR spanning escalators in the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus that showed each escalator stops 128 times a month on average, out of which 110 times passengers cause the delay by pressing the red button on the handle, inconveniencing countless commuters.