Hong Kong — Central-Mid-Levels Escalator and Walkway System 中環至半山自動扶梯系統, Hong Kong
That is one giant escalator
September 2015
When travelling, I occasionally come across something that makes me stop in my tracks. And the Central-Mid-Levels Escalator and Walkway System 中環至半山自動扶梯 was one such thing. I didn’t think I would ever encounter an outdoor escalator running up a hillside in a city.
The Central-Mid-Levels Escalator and Walkway System 中環至半山自動扶梯 runs some 800 m up the hill from Central Hong Kong to what is called the “mid-levels”. The escalator runs downhill in the morning until about 9 or 10 am and then reverses direction (I wonder what happens if you are on it, and it changes direction?). This makes sense because workers get a little “lift” coming down the hill in the morning and a helping hand when going home at night.
The photographs below show my first encounter with the Central-Mid-Levels Escalator and Walkway System 中環至半山自動扶梯. At first, I thought it was an escalator up to some high-rise flats. It wasn't until I came across the escalator again a few streets later that I realised it was free public transport up the hill.
The escalator is just an escalator. It has a covering to keep the rain off and is divided into short segments, so you can easily get on and off.
And when you're on it, it seems to go on and on and on.
The photograph below shows the various segments of the escalator running down the hill on the right-hand side of the lane.
To me, it just seemed wrong, weird almost, to be taking an escalator up a hill through a city.
And it was very popular.
Finally, you get to the top. And as I didn't want to go up the hill and had taken the escalator to see where it goes and how it operated, I then had to turn around and walk back down the hill.
And it was a long walk back down.
Now, I don't know if the Central-Mid-Levels Escalator and Walkway System 中環至半山自動扶梯 is unique, but I have not come across anything like it in any other cities. It is an interesting way to solve a transportation problem, that is, how to get everybody to and from work, but it seems rather odd. But it works.
FourSquare: Central-Mid-Levels Escalator
