World’s Most Remarkable Escalators
Published by Notable escalators from around the world.
An escalator is a moving stairway use to transport people between floors of a building; it is also use in stores, railroad stations, etc… Escalators are used worldwide. In the US alone, it was estimated that it has 30,000 escalators and that people used escalators 90 billion times each year.
World’s Highest Escalator
The world’s highest escalator is installed at the Umeda Sky Building – the 7th-tallest building in Osaka City, Japan and one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks. It is suspended 550-feet above ground. The building consists of two 40-story towers that connect at their two uppermost stories, with bridges and an escalator crossing the wide atrium-like space in the center.
World’s Longest Outdoor Covered Escalator
The longest outdoor covered escalator system in the world is at the Central-Mid-levels Escalators in Hong Kong. It is the world’s longest outdoor escalator system (not a single escalator span), at a total length of 2,600 feet or 790 m. It goes only one way at a time, the direction reverses depending on rush hour traffic direction.
World’s Longest Freestanding Escalator
The atrium escalator that is used to transport visitors on the CNN tour has been listed in the Guinness World Records as the longest freestanding (supported only at the ends) escalator in the world. It raises 8 stories and is 205 feet or 62 m long. CNN Center is located in Atlanta, Georgia in the US.
World’s Shortest Escalator
According to Guinness World Records, the shortest escalator in the world is located in the Okadaya Mores shopping mall in Kawasaki, Japan. Its vertical rise is only 32.8 inches or 83 cm.
Longest Escalator in Europe
Park Pobedy which literally means “Victory Park” is a station on the Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya Line of the Metro. At 84 meters underground, it is the deepest station in Moscow and contains the longest escalators in Europe; each one is 126 meters long and has 740 steps. The ride to the surface takes approximately three minutes.
World’s Longest Wooden Escalator
See image HERE
The longest wooden escalators in the world are located in the United Kingdom at the Tyne Tunnel, with a length of 200 feet or 61 m. The escalators have 306 wooden steps each, and are the original models from 1951. At the time of construction, they were the highest single-rise escalators in the world, with a vertical rise of 85 ft or 26 m and a length of 200 ft or 61 m.
World’s Largest Single Truss Escalator
A significant feature of the Bentall Center is an escalator which travels from the ground to the second floor. It is the largest single truss escalator in the world with only a top and bottom support. It is located in Kingston upon Thames in Greater London, UK. Bentall Center is a department store.
See image HERE
Longest Single-span Uninterrupted Escalator – Western Hemisphere
The longest single-span uninterrupted escalator in the Western Hemisphere is 230 ft or 70 m long and takes almost 2 minutes and 45 seconds to ascend or descend without walking. It is at the Wheaton station of the Washington metro system. The Rosslyn station of the Washington Metro system also boasts the third longest continuous-span escalator in the world.
Shortest Escalator in the US
The shortest escalator in the United States is located in Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus, New Jersey. It is a Schindler unit at the entrance to the JCPenney Department Store.
Notable Spiral Escalator
One of the few and most remarkable spiral escalator installations in the world is the one found in the Yokohama Minato Mirai 21.
Hope you enjoyed this. Thank you!
For the fastest vehicles see
World’s Fastest Flying Machines Ever Built
World’s Fastest Land, Water and Ice Vehicles Ever Built
For the largest machines see
World’s Largest Machines Ever Built
For spectacular bridges from around the world see
20 World’s Most Notable Bridges: Architectural and Engineering Feats
15 World’s Most Notable Bridges: Architectural and Engineering Feats-2
For the world’s notable elevators see
Unique and Remarkable Elevators From Around the World
Liked it
On April 7, 2009 at 5:54 am
Another great list! I really enjoy reading it. The highest escalator in Umeda Building is really a great structure.
On April 7, 2009 at 6:10 am
Wow nobert this is very interesting I didn’t know this . Great article
On April 7, 2009 at 6:28 am
Really interesting article. Never knew there was a wooden escalator. Been on the CNN and Paramus ones.
On April 7, 2009 at 7:28 am
Another fascinating and well written article, love it.
On April 7, 2009 at 7:33 am
thanks for sharing this.
On April 7, 2009 at 8:19 am
A very good article and pictures. Good research. Well done.
On April 7, 2009 at 10:24 am
An interesting and informative article. Some amazing structures here. I am so pleased the UK is mentioned. Good work as always.
Christine
On April 7, 2009 at 10:35 am
An interesting and informative article.
On April 7, 2009 at 10:41 am
Aclimbing article,awesome.
On April 7, 2009 at 11:17 am
Great work as usual.
On April 7, 2009 at 4:40 pm
Very interesting! I think the short one is very funny. What is the point??
On April 7, 2009 at 5:29 pm
Wonderful piece and photo’s, Norbert!
On April 7, 2009 at 7:02 pm
Nobert, I don’t know how you do it – always come up with such original AND interesting topics. Great job. I tried to imagine riding that outdoor escalator, and it is just unimaginable.
On April 7, 2009 at 10:16 pm
Awesome … awesome
On April 7, 2009 at 10:34 pm
Fun, interesting article!
Blessings.
Sincerely,
-Liane Schmidt.
On April 7, 2009 at 10:47 pm
those are cool rides.. thanks for the share!
On April 8, 2009 at 2:15 pm
Thank you for sharing. Great article. I was afraid of escalators when I was a kid. I think I was afraid I would get caught in the sliding stairs.
On April 8, 2009 at 8:56 pm
I don’t think I’ve ever really thought about escalators before, thanks for this article.
On April 9, 2009 at 1:47 pm
this is great thanks for sharing…
On April 9, 2009 at 2:27 pm
These are amazing excalators but, sorry, I don’t want to ride any of them. They make me nerveous and I avoid them when I can.
On April 9, 2009 at 3:58 pm
The short one is really funny.
On April 9, 2009 at 5:16 pm
These are amazing pictures of escalators. I have to tell you my fear factor increased just looking at them. I have been terrified of these things since childhood.
On April 9, 2009 at 11:21 pm
There’s something here I never knew and I’m always there. I shop a lot at the Westfield Mall in Paramus, New Jersey, and I always point out how useless that thing is to have.
On April 9, 2009 at 11:33 pm
There is a spiral escalator at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas NV. I ride it up and down a couple of times every year I am there for a hacker con.
On April 10, 2009 at 12:42 am
I loved the spiral esculator, I have never seen one, amazing.
On April 10, 2009 at 12:55 am
This is indeed wonderful..I am amaze with these structures and I enjoy reading it.I was kinda like the short escalator.Great article.
On April 10, 2009 at 2:35 am
Haven’t heard of a wooden escalator before, thanks for this post.
On April 10, 2009 at 2:51 am
i hate it at my gym they have escalators but no lift so when i have the pram its horrible.
never heard of wooden ones and why would u waste ur time on that little one lol
On April 10, 2009 at 5:38 am
The ’shortest’ in Japan – is for extreme efficiency of moving a lot of people.
The ’shortest’ in the ’states’ …because people would get stuck
On April 10, 2009 at 9:57 am
That’s cool I never thought escalators could be so interesting. Thank’s for sharing.
On April 10, 2009 at 12:13 pm
excellent job, nobert! keep up the good work!
On April 10, 2009 at 12:50 pm
Fascinating piece
On April 10, 2009 at 1:46 pm
Interesting, we don’t have many here in Cyprus. When I returned to the UK it was a bit of a novelty. Good article.
On April 10, 2009 at 4:13 pm
Well written and interesting article.
On April 10, 2009 at 8:08 pm
lol random i love it!
On April 11, 2009 at 1:48 am
Thanks for the interesting article.
On April 11, 2009 at 9:34 am
i like the Notable Spiral Escalator! as a mechanical engineering student i want to know how do they did that kind of elevator.
tnx for the info dude! much appreciated
On April 11, 2009 at 11:05 am
Another nice article. Interesting and well researched.
On April 16, 2009 at 10:30 pm
Amazing escalators.
On April 18, 2009 at 8:26 am
I want to ride all those escalators. =D
On April 19, 2009 at 5:28 pm
Awww, another reason to be lazy. lol
On April 20, 2009 at 3:04 pm
those are cool!
On April 25, 2009 at 3:13 am
wow that great. very beautiful and informative
On November 18, 2009 at 4:00 am
those are incredible discoveries nobert! great work!
On February 9, 2010 at 1:21 pm
I crapped bricks on the CNN elevator, yeah, it was that bad.