Moscow metro, the longest escalator in the world, as well as other curiosities among escalators

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:41

The Moscow Metro is a unique complex of structures that has several world records in its treasury, for example, the largest passenger traffic, amounting to more than 8 million people a day. At the end of last year, namely on December 28, another world achievement was put into the asset of the Moscow metro - this is the longest escalator in the world, which is located at the Park Pobedy station. Read more about world and beyond achievements below.

Moscow metro records

As mentioned above, the Moscow Metro is a unique structure. Many experts call it the most beautiful among world competitors. And before talking about where the longest escalator in the world is located, it is worth pointing out some other records of the Moscow metro, albeit internal ones.

The longest station

"Sparrow Hills", a station located onSokolnicheskaya line is the longest of all. The absolute length of this station is 282 meters, due to which it will take almost 5 minutes to walk from end to end. Sparrow Hills is also known for being the first station in the world built on a river bridge.

The deepest and shallowest station

The deepest station building in the Moscow metro is "Victory Park", the depth of which is 84 meters, with an average depth of Moscow stations of 24 meters. This average figure can be compared with the shallowest station - the lower level of Pechatnikov goes into the ground at a distance of only 5 meters, due to which part of the station roof is above the ground, albeit in the form covered with earth.

The most curved station

"Alexander Garden", located on the Filevskaya line, has the most curved shape, with a radius of curvature of more than 700 meters. That is why there is a rule when departing a train: the driver waits for the signal from the station attendant, standing at the center of the platform, because due to the curvature of the tracks, he (the driver) does not see what is happening at the end of the train.

The longest escalator in the world

Let's get back to the main topic. What is the longest escalator in the world in the subway? The length of this structure, installed at the Park Pobedy station, is 130 meters. Such an indicator allows this structure to claim a place in the Book of Records. Guinness. In addition, this escalator has 4 lanes, a pair in each direction, which greatly simplifies the passage of passengers from the Park Pobedy station to the Kalininsko-Solntsevskaya line station of the same name. At the same time, up to 800 people can be on this lifting and lowering facility, overcoming 68 meters in a vertical plane. It should be said that the terms in which this structure was erected are also record-breaking - 2 months, as opposed to 6, usually required.

According to Vitaly Shot, who led this project, the principle scheme of the escalator meets all international safety standards, including emergency stop and soft start. Control over the operation of all lanes of the lift is carried out from the dispatcher's room, located on Prospekt Mira. In fact, this is a twin of a similar structure at the station of the same name on the Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya line, only 2 meters longer. The similarity is reflected in the design work - the same 92 fluorescent lamps as decoration.

Other escalator records

There are many other records in the world, not only related to the length of the escalator. Some thanks to this are included in the Guinness Book of Records. For example, the smallest escalator in the world is located in one of the shopping centers in the Japanese city of Kawasaki. The height of this baby is just over 80 centimeters. Moreover, it is not known what exactly prompted the creators to install this creation (functionality is clearly not to blame here), but it really is popular. According to statistics, more than 50% of visitors to the mall must drive through it at least once.

In addition to the escalators installed in their traditional places, that is, in the subway or commercial buildings, there are lifts built in non-standard conditions for them or having a non-standard design. For example, a huge escalator in the city of Medellin, in Colombia. The peculiarity of this building is that it was built in one of the poorest areas. The decision to build it was made by the city administration, based on the location of the area - on a fairly steep mountainside, which caused numerous complaints from residents about the difficulty of descent and ascent. The total length of 6 sections of this escalator is over 380 meters.

An interesting structure is a sealed underwater escalator installed in Taiwan's Aquarium. "Walking" on it, you can observe the inhabitants of the "underwater kingdom" in their natural habitat and, importantly, observe in safety. The design of this creation of engineering thought is also interesting - in the form of a zigzag, which allows, being on the same step, to visit different depths of the oceanarium.