On December 25, Hitachi, Ltd. and Hitachi Building Systems announced an escalator with a function to deter “escalators from being left empty on one side.
The system is scheduled to be installed at Yumeshima Station on the Hokko Technoport Line, which will open in 2024 to coincide with the Osaka-Kansai Expo, and will use LED displays to encourage the use of two lines.
During the Expo, trains are scheduled to arrive at Yumeshima Station every 2.5 minutes, and the station is expected to have approximately 126,000 passengers per day. Although three escalators are scheduled to be installed in the center of the platform, this feature is intended to deter “one-sided emptying” in order to eliminate the stagnation on the platform.
LEDs are used at the escalator entrance to indicate where to stand in two lines, and LEDs are also used at the top of the escalator steps to discourage walking.
© Source travel watch