Editing Central–Mid-Levels escalator

{{Short description|Outdoor escalator and walkway system in Hong Kong}}
{{EngvarB|date=May 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Infobox urban feature
| name          = Central–Mid-Levels escalator
| image_place   = Central-Mid-Levels_Escalator_and_Walkway_System_2017.jpg
| image_caption = Inside the escalator system
| place_type    = Outdoor escalator and walkway
| features     = [[Escalator]]s, [[walkway]]s, [[moving walkway]]s, [[stairs]]
| location     = [[Hong Kong Island]], Hong Kong
| owner        = [[Government of Hong Kong]]
| coordinates  = {{coord|22|17|1|N|114|9|17|E|}}
| construction = 1991–1993
| open         = {{Start date and age|df=y|1993|10|15}}
| height       = {{convert|135|m|ft|abbr=on}}
| length       = {{convert|800|m|ft|abbr=on}}
| maint        = 
| designer     = 
| website={{URL|td.gov.hk/en/transport_in_hong_kong/pedestrianisation/hillside_escalator/index.html|Transport Department profile}}
}}
{{Coord|22|17|1.19|N|114|9|17.40|E|type:landmark|display=title}}
{{Infobox Chinese
|t=中環至半山自動扶梯系統
|s=中环至半山自动扶梯系统
|y=zùng waan zí bún sàan zìh dùhng fu tài hàih tūng
|j=zung1 waan4 zi3 bun3 saan1 zi6 dung6 fu4 tai1 hai6 tung2
|ci=[t͡sʊ̋ŋ.wä̏ːn.t͡sīː.pūːn.sä̋ːn.t͡sìː.tʊ̀ŋ.fȕː.tʰɐ̋i̯.hɐ̀i̯.tʰʊ᷄ŋ]
|p=Zhōnghuán zhì Bànshān Zìdòngfútī Xìtǒng
}}
The '''Central–Mid-Levels escalator and walkway system''' in [[Hong Kong]] is the longest outdoor covered [[escalator]] system in the world. The system covers over {{convert|800|m|abbr=on}} in distance and traverses an elevation of over {{convert|135|m|abbr=on}} from bottom to top. It opened in 1993 to provide an improved link between [[Central, Hong Kong|Central]] and the [[Mid-Levels]] on [[Hong Kong Island]].

The escalators at top stage of the escalator system between [[Robinson Road, Hong Kong|Robinson Road]] and [[Conduit Road]] have been replaced, and went operational on 11 July 2018. In early 2019, three refurbished escalators between [[Mosque Street, Hong Kong|Mosque Street]] and Robinson Road went operational. In June 2019, two replaced escalators between [[Caine Road]] and [[Elgin Street, Hong Kong|Elgin Street]] opened to the public. The escalator between [[Gage Street]] and [[Wellington Street, Hong Kong|Wellington Street]] is currently{{when|date=October 2022}} under refurbishment.

Apart from serving as a mode of transport, the system is also a tourist attraction and is lined with restaurants, bars, and shops.<ref name="milelongescalator">{{cite news|last1=Gold|first1=Anne|title=Hong Kong's Mile-Long Escalator System Elevates the Senses: A Stairway to Urban Heaven|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/07/06/style/hong-kongs-milelong-escalator-system-elevates-the-senses-a-stairway-to.html|work=The New York Times|date=6 July 2001}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:興建中的登山電梯.jpg|thumb|Central–Mid-Levels escalators under construction in the early 1990s]]

=== Origins ===
The project was first publicly mooted in the early 1980s. The government found that much of the east-west traffic in the area arose from north-south travel demand, as the steep topography did not allow for major roads to be built straight up the hill. There was talk of linking Central and Mid-Levels with escalators, a [[monorail]], or a [[Cable railway|cable-car]] system.<ref name="gotowork">{{cite news|last1=Lo|first1=Francis|title=Go to work – by escalator|work=South China Morning Post|date=28 February 1982|page=1}}</ref>

In late 1982, private consultants Peter Y.S. Pun and Associates and [[MVA Asia]] were commissioned to investigate traffic improvement measures in Central.<ref name="privatefirm">{{cite news|last1=Li|first1=Francis|title=Private firm could run Mid-Levels escalator|work=South China Morning Post|date=30 March 1984|page=18}}</ref> In their report entitled ''A Study of the Transport Requirements of the Mid-Levels and Central District'', the consultant recommended, among other things, to build an "escalator assisted pedestrian route" linking Mid-Levels to the existing [[Central Elevated Walkway]] system and a new bus terminus that they proposed should be built on the site of the [[Central Market, Hong Kong|Central Market]].<ref name="ambitious">{{cite news|title=Ambitious traffic plans for Central|work=South China Morning Post|date=24 February 1984|page=14}}</ref><ref name="privatefirm"/> This proposal was well-received by Mid-Levels residents.<ref name="thumbsup">{{cite news|last1=Lau|first1=C.K.|title=Thumbs up for Central escalators|work=South China Morning Post|date=9 April 1984|page=14}}</ref>

=== Construction and opening ===
The [[Highways Department]] commissioned [[Maunsell|Maunsell Consultants Asia]] to draw up a detailed design for the system.<ref name="plananddesign">{{cite journal|last1=Garrett|first1=Richard J.|title=The hillside escalator link in Hong Kong – planning and design|journal=Highways and Transportation|date=January 1992|volume=39|issue=1|pages=25–27}}</ref> The [[Executive Council of Hong Kong|Executive Council]] approved the project on 16 March 1990.<ref name="risesto100m">{{cite news|last1=Lee|first1=Jacqueline|title=Mid-Levels link rises to $100m|work=South China Morning Post|date=17 March 1990|page=3}}</ref> Construction began at the end of February 1991, and was carried out by a joint venture between Hong Kong contractor [[Paul Y. Engineering|Paul Y. – ITC Construction]] and the French company [[Sogen]].<ref name="plananddesign"/><ref name="pauly">{{cite web|title=Central Mid-Levels Escalator and Walkway System|url=http://www.pyengineering.com/en-us/projects/details/53|publisher=Paul Y. Engineering|accessdate=24 May 2018}}</ref><ref name="awarded">{{cite news|last1=Lau|first1=Jeremy|title=$186m Central escalator contract awarded|work=South China Morning Post|date=23 February 1991}}</ref> It took two and a half years to build, and opened to the public at 6:00&nbsp;am on 15 October 1993.<ref name="fitsandstarts">{{cite news|last1=Wiseman|first1=Alison|last2=Choy|first2=Monique|last3=Hills|first3=Jonathan|title=New link sets off in fits and starts|work=South China Morning Post|date=16 October 1993|page=3}}</ref>

The opening of the escalator fuelled the proliferation of new restaurants and other commercial operations in the intermediate levels, and contributed to the development of the "[[Soho, Hong Kong|SoHo]]" entertainment district. New businesses opened up in the first or second floors of existing buildings, and added signage to attract escalator riders.<ref name="storiesbehind">{{cite news|last1=DeWolf|first1=Christopher|title=Stories behind Hong Kong districts: SoHo before the escalator|url=http://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/2022873/stories-behind-hong-kong-districts-soho-escalator|work=South China Morning Post|date=29 September 2016}}</ref>

=== Capital cost ===
The system cost HK$240&nbsp;million (US$31&nbsp;million) to build, although it was originally approved in March 1990 with a budget of $100&nbsp;million and annual maintenance costs of $950,000.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sunzi1.lib.hku.hk/newspaper/view/16_15.01/68880.pdf|title=Escalator link to Central approved|date=17 March 1990|work=The Standard|accessdate=19 December 2006}}</ref> In November 1996, the [[Director of Audit (Hong Kong)|Director of Audit]] issued a report that called the project a "white elephant", saying that it failed to achieve the primary objective of reducing traffic between the Mid-Levels and Central, as well as over-running its budget by 153 per cent. The Highways Department's poor handling of the project was the main reason for having five cost revisions of the project since the budget had been initially approved. The Director of Audit blamed it for failing to address the risks and complexities associated with the project in the pre-tender estimates, and costs rising because of delays.<ref name="elephant">Yonden Lhatoo, [http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=&art_id=49217&sid=&con_type=1&d_str=19961106&sear_year=1996 Escalator 'a costly white elephant'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110522081957/http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=&art_id=49217&sid=&con_type=1&d_str=19961106&sear_year=1996 |date=22 May 2011 }}, ''The Standard'', 6 November 1996</ref> Land resumption costs were also underestimated by $74&nbsp;million (or 180 per cent). The report also points out that a "before-and-after" study by the [[Transport Department (Hong Kong)|Transport Department]] indicated no obvious reduction in traffic congestion.<ref name="elephant" />

==Description==
[[File:CentralMidLevelsEscalatorAndWalkwaySystem en zh.png|thumb|Schematic diagram of the system]]

===Route===
The escalators exist because [[Hong Kong Island]] is dominated by steep, hilly terrain, which makes it the home of several unusual methods of transport up and down the slopes. The Central–Mid-Levels escalator system was featured on the CNN website as one of the "coolest commutes" in the world in March 2015.<ref name="coolestcommute">{{cite news|last1=Hinson|first1=Tamara|title=7 of the world's coolest commutes|url=https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/worlds-coolest-commutes/index.html|publisher=CNN|date=23 February 2015}}</ref>

It links [[Queen's Road Central]] in [[Central, Hong Kong|Central]] with [[Conduit Road]] in the [[Mid-Levels]], travelling primarily up Cochrane Street and Shelley Street.<ref name="plananddesign"/> At Queen's Road Central, the Central–Mid-Levels escalators system is connected through [[Central Market, Hong Kong|Central Market]] to the [[Central Elevated Walkway]], an extensive [[footbridge]] network covering the Central area.

The escalator system is {{convert|800|m|ft|abbr=on}} long with a vertical climb of {{convert|135|m|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref name="plananddesign"/> The total travel time is twenty minutes, but many people walk while the escalator moves to shorten their trip.<ref name="plananddesign"/> Due to the geographical situation, the same distance is equivalent to several miles of zigzagging roads if travelling by car. According to [[Guinness World Records]], these escalators together form the longest outdoor covered escalator system.<ref name="scmpstairway">{{cite news|title=Stairway to urban heaven|url=http://www.scmp.com/article/973137/stairway-urban-heaven|work=South China Morning Post|date=11 July 2011}}</ref>

===Design===
The system includes 18 escalators and three inclined [[moving walkway]]s.<ref name="ICEE"/> Due to the complex terrain, parts of the system run on elevated concrete structures, while other sections sit at ground level.<ref name="plananddesign"/>

The moving walkways have a tread width of one metre (3.28 feet), allowing faster pedestrians to pass slower users.<ref name="plananddesign"/> In line with Hong Kong [[escalator etiquette]], slower or idle users generally keep to the right. The three walkways have inclines of 8.1°, 11.9° and 11.7°. Eleven of the escalators have a typical 30° incline, while the remaining seven have a non-standard 17.5° incline.<ref name="ICEE"/>

All the walkways (except for at-grade road crossings) are covered to protect users from the rain, although the sides are open to the elements. The roofing structure was designed to be visually attractive, and incorporates translucent polycarbonate to allow sunlight to illuminate the walkways.<ref name="plananddesign"/>

== Operations ==
[[File:Central–Mid-levels Escalators Central Entrance.jpg|thumb|Lower entrance of the system, adjacent to the 100QRC building. This entrance is on a footbridge connecting with the [[Central Elevated Walkway]].]]
[[File:HK Central Cochrane Street Central-Mid-Levels escalators 1.JPG|thumb|Side view of the system at [[Queen's Road Central]].]]
[[File:HK Central footbridge night 閣麟街 Cochrane Street May 2016 DSC.jpg|thumb|Junction of Cochrane Street and Stanley Street at night]]
[[File:Central-Mid-levels escalator.jpg|thumb|upright|Inside the escalator system. Pictured is an inclined [[moving walkway]] section.]]
[[File:HK Shelley Street Central-Mid-Levels escalators n Elgin Street a.jpg|thumb|upright|Top view of the system at [[Shelley Street]], at its intersection with Elgin Street]]
[[File:HK Central Escalators Mosque Street.JPG|thumb|upright|Mosque Street entrance]]

=== Daily patronage ===
The Transport Department conducted patronage surveys for the entire system in 2005 and 2010. In 2005, the system saw about 54,000 daily pedestrian trips. This grew to 85,000 trips in 2010. The department noted that the escalator has relieved demand for public transport, but has not led to many motorists giving up driving or reduced traffic congestion, in line with the traffic planning principle of [[induced demand]].<ref name="legco">{{cite web|url=http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201512/16/P201512160340.htm|title=LCQ10: Hillside escalator links and elevator systems|date=16 December 2015|publisher=Legislative Council}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year !! Daily usage 
|-
| 1996 || 34,000<ref name="reviewwillbe">{{cite news|title=Review will be ordered of 'failed' Mid-Levels escalator|last1=Chan|first1=Quinton|date=20 November 1994|work=South China Morning Post|page=4}}</ref>
|-
| 2005 || 54,000<ref name="legco" />
|-
| 2010 || 85,000<ref name="legco" />
|-
|2016
|78,000<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.td.gov.hk/en/transport_in_hong_kong/pedestrianisation/hillside_escalator/index.html|title=Transport Department - Hillside Escalator|website=www.td.gov.hk|language=en|access-date=2018-07-09}}</ref>
|}

=== Management and maintenance ===
Management and maintenance of the system is the responsibility of the [[Electrical and Mechanical Services Department]] (EMSD).{{clarify|date=February 2023|Is part of the job outsourced by the EMSD? E.g. There are notices issued by a property management company, Guardian. See also https://ipfs.io/ipfs/Qmdig4NtBTbUiw9KRri83Warmrp4f5PFFFZMoQUwqXuNbZ/20021114/7II3RAE3QHUARZSYPMGI6UEOQM/index.html 
https://web.archive.org/web/20210829131157/https://collection.news/appledaily/articles/7II3RAE3QHUARZSYPMGI6UEOQM }} It is monitored during operating hours by staff in a control room near Caine Road. The system is equipped with 75 CCTV cameras, LED [[variable-message sign]]age, and a public address system with about 200 speakers. Since 2014, EMSD has contracted out management and maintenance to a private company.<ref name="ICEE">{{cite journal|last1=Lee|first1=Ka Chun|last2=Lee|first2=Che Kit|date=5 July 2015|title=Life Cycle of the World's Longest Escalator Link|url=https://www.emsd.gov.hk/filemanager/conferencepaper/en/upload/61/cnfrnc-paper-20150705-09-3.pdf|journal=International Conference on Electrical Engineering (ICEE) 2015}}</ref> As of 2014, the annual maintenance cost of the system is about HK$12.5&nbsp;million.<ref name="LCQ2014">{{cite web|title=LCQ16: Hillside escalator links and elevator systems|url=http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201404/16/P201404160474.htm|publisher=Legislative Council|date=16 April 2014}}</ref>
 
The entire system is being refurbished in stages in a project expected to last from 2018 to 2022.<ref name="fouryear">{{cite news|title=Central to Mid-Levels escalator link to undergo 4-year upgrade|url=http://www.ejinsight.com/20180122-central-to-mid-levels-escalator-link-to-undergo-4-year-upgrade/|work=Hong Kong Economic Journal|date=22 January 2018}}</ref>

=== Tidal flow ===
The one-way escalators and moving walkways run downhill from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and then uphill from 10 a.m. to midnight daily.<ref name="plananddesign"/> Users wanting to travel in the opposite direction must use the staircases and ramps along the escalator, which consists of total 782 steps between Conduit Road and Queen's Road Central footbridge. There is an entrance and exit on each road it passes, often on both sides of the road.

== Bisecting streets ==
The system runs through the whole length of [[Cochrane Street]] (named for Rear Admiral [[Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald|Thomas Alexander Cochrane]])<ref>{{cite book |title=Signs of a Colonial Era |last1=Yanne |first1=Andrew |last2=Heller |first2=Gillis |year=2009 |publisher=[[Hong Kong University Press]] |page=86 |isbn=978-962-209-944-9}}</ref> between [[Queen's Road Central]] and [[Hollywood Road]]. Then it runs along the entire length of a ladder street, [[Shelley Street]].

The whole system bisects the following streets/roads:
* [[Queen Victoria Street, Hong Kong|Queen Victoria Street]] ({{Zh|t=域多利皇后街|labels=no}})
* [[Des Voeux Road Central]] ({{Zh|t=德輔道中|labels=no}})
* [[Queen's Road Central]] ({{Zh|t=皇后大道中|labels=no}})
* [[Stanley Street, Hong Kong|Stanley Street]] ({{Zh|t=士丹利街|labels=no}})
* [[Wellington Street, Hong Kong|Wellington Street]] ({{Zh|t=威靈頓街|labels=no}})
* [[Gage Street]] ({{Zh|t=結志街|labels=no}})
* [[Lyndhurst Terrace]] ({{Zh|t=擺花街|labels=no}})
* [[Old Bailey Street]] ({{Zh|t=奧卑利街|labels=no}})
* [[Hollywood Road]] ({{Zh|t=荷里活道|labels=no}})
* [[Staunton Street]] ({{Zh|t=士丹頓街|labels=no}}) – [[SoHo, Hong Kong|SoHo]] area
* [[Elgin Street, Hong Kong|Elgin Street]] ({{Zh|t=伊利近街|labels=no}})
* [[Caine Road]] ({{Zh|t=堅道|labels=no}})
* [[Mosque Street, Hong Kong|Mosque Street]] ({{Zh|t=摩羅廟街|labels=no}})
* [[Mosque Junction]] ({{Zh|t=摩羅廟交加街|labels=no}})
* [[Robinson Road, Hong Kong|Robinson Road]] ({{Zh|t=羅便臣道|labels=no}})
* [[Conduit Road]] ({{Zh|t=干德道|labels=no}})

==As film location==
The Central–Mid-Levels escalators have been used as filming locations for several films, including:

* ''[[Chungking Express]]'' (1994). Director [[Wong Kar-wai]] stated: "That interests me because no one has made a movie there. When we were scouting for locations we found the light there entirely appropriate."<ref name="erasingclouds">J. D. Lafrance, [http://www.erasingclouds.com/0519chungking.html "Cinematic Pleasures: Chungking Express"], ''Erasing Clouds'' 23 (2004)</ref>
* ''[[Chinese Box]]'' (1997). Set in the months immediately preceding the 1997 [[handover of Hong Kong]], the flat-cum-office of the main character John ([[Jeremy Irons]]) is located directly at the Central–Mid-Levels escalators.
* The Batman film ''[[The Dark Knight]]'' (2008). Filming took place there 6–11 November 2007.<ref name="seehilly">{{cite news|last1=Wong|first1=Maggie Hiufu|title=See hilly Hong Kong on escalator that sets records|url=https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/hong-kong-worlds-longest-escalator-system/index.html|publisher=CNN|date=14 September 2017}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Centre Street (Hong Kong)|Centre Street escalator link]]
*[[List of streets and roads in Hong Kong]]
* [[Transport in Hong Kong]]
{{Portal bar|Hong Kong|Transport}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Central-Mid-Levels escalators}}
* [http://programme.rthk.org.hk/rthk/tv/programme.php?name=tv/hongkongstories12e&d=2011-04-20&p=5077&e=138025&m=episode Labyrinth in the Air] – TV programme by [[Radio Television Hong Kong]] on the escalators and related [[Central Elevated Walkway]] (video archive)
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8441626.stm BBC Close-up] – brief video on the importance of the escalators

{{DEFAULTSORT:Central-Mid-levels Escalators}}
[[Category:1993 establishments in Hong Kong]]
[[Category:Central, Hong Kong]]
[[Category:Mid-Levels]]
[[Category:Transport in Hong Kong]]
[[Category:Vertical transport devices]]
[[Category:Skyways]]
[[Category:Escalators]]
[[Category:Pedestrian bridges in Hong Kong]]