Mumbai Railway Station Escalators to Restart in Two Minutes Under New System
Railway station escalators in Mumbai will soon be able to restart within two minutes of a breakdown under a new system introduced to reduce downtime and improve commuter convenience across the suburban network.
At present, an escalator that comes to a halt after someone presses the emergency-stop button can take roughly 25 minutes to be brought back into service, according to Western Railway officials. The new mechanism, based on standards approved by the Bureau of Indian Standards, is designed to significantly lower the waiting time for passengers whenever an escalator experiences a fault.
Escalators serve as vital infrastructure at Mumbai's heavily congested suburban stations, assisting senior citizens, women, persons with disabilities, and passengers carrying heavy luggage. When units remain non-functional for extended stretches, commuters are forced onto staircases, creating severe bottlenecks and increasing crowding on footbridges and platforms.
To address recurring operational failures, the Railway Board issued directives on August 13 mandating at least 15 years of comprehensive maintenance by manufacturers following the warranty period for all newly procured escalators. This follows revised technical guidelines published by the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) on January 16.
Under the new framework, older escalators that have not been maintained by their original manufacturers can undergo a one-time overhaul, followed by mandatory manufacturer-led comprehensive maintenance for a minimum of seven years. In addition, contractors are required to maintain sufficient stocks of critical spare parts locally so that mechanical repairs can be carried out without unnecessary delays.
The Railways is also broadening a digital monitoring system originally developed by Western Railway. The dedicated portal tracks regular maintenance schedules and verifies whether required inspections are being performed as prescribed. Under the Railway Board's instructions, every escalator must undergo inspection according to a specific RDSO checklist, requiring joint sign-offs from both the manufacturer and a railway representative.
Annual maintenance contracts will also include clauses to deploy dedicated maintenance staff at sensitive and high-footfall locations whenever necessary to ensure immediate response during peak operational hours.
