London Underground station escalator directions.

[stadler]

Why do London Underground always change the escalator directions? Is there any logic behind this? I see this again and again at so many stations. One day the escalators will be going in one direction and then the next day i go to the same station at the same time and the escalators are swapped around and going in the opposite direction. Surely it would make sense to always keep the escalators running to the left like traffic. It would also help with passenger flow at busy times when regular passengers know which escalator is which before they get right there. The current situation is such a mess. Is there actually a reason for this? Or do staff just not care to have any consistency when they switch them on in the morning?

 

[birchesgreen]

Is it to even out wear and tear on the mechanisms?

 

[SynthD]

I heard that some escalators no longer work in both directions, after long use in one direction. For future flexibility, it would be good to avoid this happening again.

 

[Belperpete]

Is it to even out wear and tear on the mechanisms?

That is my understanding. However, they don't seem to do it at the very busy stations, such as Euston and Victoria, where passenger flow is probably a more critical consideration.

On the continent, you often get escalators that are normally stopped, and automatically start when someone approaches. I can't recall seeing this used anywhere in the UK? Let alone the bidirectional versions. On my recent visit to Germany, I saw someone explaining to some tourists that they were standing too close to the escalator, which was why it wouldn't change direction for them.

 

[Mawkie]

Is it to even out wear and tear on the mechanisms?

It's exactly this. There were times in the past that escalators were no longer able to be run in 'reverse' because they'd only been run in one direction for years.

Or do staff just not care to have any consistency when they switch them on in the morning?

I'm not sure why customers think that what happens on stations is so haphazard. All of the large stations, the King's Crosses, the Waterloos, the Paddingtons, have well defined plans and procedures for opening and closing of stations, including escalator directions. These plans are constantly monitored during the peaks and adapted as necessary. Lift and escalator alarms are monitored, supervisors have screens that show the directions of travel of escalators, and position of lifts. There is no lack of care, in fact, the opposite is true, these processes are done with an abundance of care.

Incidentally, this also includes gate direction too. The supervisor will monitor platform loadings and overcrowding within the circulation areas and request that staff reduce the amount of entry gates on certain gate lines to slow the flow of passengers. This is a deliberate reaction for the safety of everyone rather than any lack of care of gate line staff.

 

[birchesgreen]

On the continent, you often get escalators that are normally stopped, and automatically start when someone approaches. I can't recall seeing this used anywhere in the UK? Let alone the bidirectional versions.

Millennium Point in Birmingham has these. Bi-directional. (Or did the last time i was there anyway, admittedly a few years ago!)

 

[stuu]

On the continent, you often get escalators that are normally stopped, and automatically start when someone approaches. I can't recall seeing this used anywhere in the UK? Let alone the bidirectional versions. On my recent visit to Germany, I saw someone explaining to some tourists that they were standing too close to the escalator, which was why it wouldn't change direction for them.

The EL escalators at Canary Wharf run at half speed if no one is on them. There are others in shopping centres etc but I don't think there are many, if any, others like that on the underground or NR

 

[edwin_m]

I don't recall ever seeing a escalator that is actuated in a particular direction when someone approaches one end. For the sorts of people flow and height difference that typically justify an escalator, I would have thought there will nearly always be someone either somewhere on the escalator or about to board it, and someone else will probably have boarded behind the first person before they step off at the other end. So a person arriving when it is running in the wrong direction might have a long and annoying wait. For a height difference with low passenger numbers a lift is probably a better option - one should be provided anyway if there's an escalator, to cater for those who can't use stairs.

 

[swt_passenger]

On the continent, you often get escalators that are normally stopped, and automatically start when someone approaches. I can't recall seeing this used anywhere in the UK? Let alone the bidirectional versions. On my recent visit to Germany, I saw someone explaining to some tourists that they were standing too close to the escalator, which was why it wouldn't change direction for them.

Many LU escalators have an automatic change to a slower speed if there’s nobody using them. I expect that’s a better idea if you have multiple escalators going the same way; everyone might pile onto the only one that was moving.

The original question about running on the left ‘like traffic’ would require all surface level concourses to be built the same layout, with exit on the left of the building to align with a left hand up escalator. Are all buildings the same? What about intermediate level concourses, multiple lines interchanging below ground, direction of escalator barrels changing at lower levels, surely left and right depends on exact flows of expected arriving and departing routes, and you obviously don’t want people crossing the queues that build up when busy.

 

[Dstock7080]

Earl’s Court escalators are often reversed at weekends to even out wear.

 

[bcarmicle]

Are there many stations where TfL do this? All the tube stations I use regularly have consistent escalator direction.

I don't recall ever seeing a escalator that is actuated in a particular direction when someone approaches one end. For the sorts of people flow and height difference that typically justify an escalator, I would have thought there will nearly always be someone either somewhere on the escalator or about to board it, and someone else will probably have boarded behind the first person before they step off at the other end. So a person arriving when it is running in the wrong direction might have a long and annoying wait. For a height difference with low passenger numbers a lift is probably a better option - one should be provided anyway if there's an escalator, to cater for those who can't use stairs.

I don't remember seeing this in the UK, but I have seen it in Europe. I think the typical layout where this is used is multiple exits, only one of which has a lift, and the rest of which have a single reversible escalator (presumably stations with relatively low traffic flows).

 

[Thames99]

The escalators at Reading don't stop when there are no passengers, but they do run very slowly until someone approaches. Of course they always operate in the same direction.

 

[Mojo]

Are there many stations where TfL do this? All the tube stations I use regularly have consistent escalator direction.

Yes, I was thinking the same, by and large it’s very rare to see escalator directions changed. Places I can think of are at locations with a bank of three such as Southwark where the middle escalator is set to go “Up” in the morning peak and “Down” in the evening, and there’s Westminster in addition to the Earls Court one already mentioned whereby the flow is reversed on weekends, but it’s certainly not common.

 

[Mag_seven]

Isn't it the case that if say the "normal" up escalator fails the down escalator is reversed to operate up?

 

[jon81uk]

Are there many stations where TfL do this? All the tube stations I use regularly have consistent escalator direction.

Its quite common for the central one or two of a bank of 3-4 to change direction between morning and evening peak. So morning might have three up and one down, then evening is two up and two down, or one up and three down. I notice this a lot at Holborn, but also happens at Canary Wharf and other similar stations with sets of 3-4 together.

 

[Jimini]

The ones at London Bridge (Borough High Street exit) run in reverse at weekends. Trips me up (not literally but it's been close a couple of times!) if I've popped into the office on a Saturday.

 

[stadler]

Westminster is one station where it is very common to see. They constantly seem to switch them there. I use that station all the time and i often go one day and they are running on the left and then i go the next day at the same time and they are all swapped around and running on the right. Westminster switches it very regularly. Although i agree that at some other stations it is much more rare.

 

[BJames]

I will try and take a picture next time but as you get on the escalator on the far left of the first bank of three heading down to the Elizabeth line platforms at Liverpool Street (from the Liverpool Street entrance), there's a small diagram by the escalator on the wall which shows the escalator directions and the times in which the escalators operate in which directions. I don't know how often this is abided by exactly as other than the middle escalator everything else always seems to be doing the same thing.

Interestingly someone mentioned Victoria above - I was at Victoria at just after midnight not too long ago on a Friday and the escalators heading directly down to the Victoria line (without having to go round the long corridor) were open for use from the concourse, and had of course been reversed on their usual direction of travel. I think there was also a Sunday that I remember seeing one of these three had been reversed as well.

 

[Taunton]

Custom House on the Elizabeth Line has fixed signage pointing to the escalators between upper concourse and platform. Unfortunately the signs are the wrong way round for the direction the escalators actually operate. It was like this on opening day, I commented on it here, and more than two years later it's still like it.

 

[Belperpete]

Custom House on the Elizabeth Line has fixed signage pointing to the escalators between upper concourse and platform. Unfortunately the signs are the wrong way round for the direction the escalators actually operate. It was like this on opening day, I commented on it here, and more than two years later it's still like it.

The obvious question: have you pointed it out to TfL?