How long does it take to fix a failed escalator? For the management of Southern Cross Station this has become a chance to set a new world record, after the escalator linking the Bourke Street Bridge to Spencer Street broke down back in early November.
November 5.
November 10.
November 24.
December 29.
January 9.
January 29.
How many more months until this escalator finally gets repaired?
Previous form
Southern Cross Station has a long history of failure – back in 2012 there was a plague of failing floor tiles, with escalators joining the club soon after.
In 2012 I first noticed hefty timber barriers being used to prevent passengers from trying to use failed escalators.
Despite their size, the barriers could be disassembled into smaller components, ready to be moved to the next failed escalator.
By 2015 the barriers had been so frequently used they needed a repaint and some new signage.
But that wasn’t enough, so by 2017 the signs were replaced a second time.
Which was a good thing, given the signs were getting more of a workout.
Popping up around the station on an increasingly frequent basis.
And why are they breaking anyway?
North Melbourne Station also has a reputation for failing escalators – my theory being that undersized units were originally installed, leading to premature failure. Given that the rest of Southern Cross Station is almost at design capacity, could this be the same case here?
Footnote
Turns out I photographed the very same escalator under repair back in June 2016.
Unfortunately I can’t remember how long it took to get fixed last time.
The least they could do is stick one of those “Play Me I’m Yours” pianos in front of it! They’re a similar shape
So that’s why the pianos have popped up all of a sudden.
https://streetpianos.com/melbourne2018/
The good thing about these, is that they were installed in sets of 3 meaning no disruption to passengers. And in my opinion, these escalators need to be maintained due to the high level of use. So, what I see happening here, is even if there is no reason to service the escalators, I believe they will essentially take at least one set offline for servicing. It’s a good practice and not really a sign that anything is going wrong. Generally escalators need regular servicing.
Routine servicing wouldn’t take 3 months? 3 weeks should be enough.
Seems more a case of avoiding maintenance and waiting for failures instead
Sounds true in theory, but when one breaksdown they prioritise arriving passengers leaving the platform and ask embarking passengers to take the elevators instead.
Routine servicing of lifts at the City Loop stations only takes a few hours:
http://www.metrotrains.com.au/planned-work/lift-maintenance-parliament-flagstaff-30-31-jan/
Why don’t they just leave the escalator idle when it’s broken instead of blocking it off. other stations around Melbourne do this.
“Escalator steps are not the correct height for normal walking, and should not be used in that manner. The risk of falling and tripping is increased”
https://medium.com/@shortformernie/why-escalators-arent-just-stairs-that-move-c1d89958bdb4
In addition, walking on a stopped escalators throws off your sense of balance:
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/11/why-broken-escalators-throw-off-our-balance/281731/
[…] Perhaps he’s ready to join the family business of tracking how many times they’ve broken down? […]
[…] all of the recent talk about Southern Cross Station’s failings – in particular failed escalators and gross overcrowding in peak times – what better time than now to look at what could have […]
The Escalators are Shopping Mall-grade Schindler 9300
Cheers! From their website:
https://www.schindler.com/com/internet/en/mobility-solutions/products/escalators.html
Popular means nothing if it isn’t up to the load!