Mumbai: India’s tallest escalator will be at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) Terminal 2 metro station, which is part of the Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ underground metro link.
Eight escalators of 19.15 metres height are in the process of being installed and all of them will be at CSMIA Terminal 2 metro station. Prior to this, the previous tallest escalator in India is at Janakpuri West metro station, which is part of the Delhi Metro Rail network. The escalator in India’s capital is 15.6 metres tall.
“Of the eight escalators, four have already been hoisted and installation work is in progress. Crane of 250 tonne was used for hoisting work of these escalators,” said a spokesperson from the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC), the body executing the 33.5km long metro line.
As the construction work is going in the heart of the busy metropolis of Mumbai, there is its own set of challenges. For example, to transport these escalators, only the window of night hours was available, as these equipment are unusually big in size and heavy.
“Another challenge is lowering of escalators in underground stations using limited opening or cutout space. Engineering wise selection of suitable crane, planning sequence and engineering coordination with civil work are the other challenges,” said MMRC official.
Along the 33.5km route, a total of 414 escalators are in different stages of installation. On average 15 escalators will be available at each of the underground stations.
