The Moscow metro, the longest escalator in the world, and other curiosities among the escalators

Moscow's metropolitan is a unique complex of facilities that has several world records in its box, for example the largest passenger flow, which is more than 8 million people a day. At the end of last year, namely on December 28, another world achievement was laid on the Moscow subway: it is the longest escalator in the world, located at the Park Pobedy station. More about the world and not only the achievements below.

Records of the Moscow Metro

As mentioned above, the Moscow Metro is a unique structure. Many experts call it the most beautiful among the world's competitors. And before talking about where is the longest escalator in the world, it is worth pointing out some other records of the Moscow metro, even if internal.

The longest station

"Sparrow Hills", a station on the Sokolniki Line, is the longest of all. The absolute length of this station is 282 meters, due to what it will take almost 5 minutes to go from end to end. "Sparrow Hills" are also known for being the first station in the world built on a river bridge.

The deepest and shallowest station

The deepest station building in the Moscow metro is "Victory Park", the depth of which is 84 meters, with an average depth of Moscow stations of 24 meters. This average figure can be compared with the shallowest station - the lower level of the "Pechatnikov" leaves in the ground for a distance of only 5 meters, due to which part of the station roof is above the surface of the earth, though in a form buried in the ground.

The most curved station

"Alexander Garden", located on the Filevskaya line, has the most curved shape, with a radius of curvature of more than 700 meters. That's why there is a rule when sending a train: the driver waits for a signal from the station attendant at the center of the platform, because he (the machinist) does not see what is happening at the end due to the curvature of the tracks.

The longest escalator in the world

Let's return to the main topic. What is the longest escalator in the world in the subway? The length of this facility, installed at the station "Park Pobedy", is 130 meters. This indicator allows this structure to qualify for a place in the Guinness Book of Records. In addition, this escalator has 4 strips, in pairs in each direction, which greatly simplifies getting passengers from the "Victory Park" station to the Kalinin-Solntsevo branch with the same name. At a time, up to 800 people can be on this lifting and lowering structure, overcoming in a vertical plane 68 meters. It should be said that the time frame in which this construction was built is also record - 2 months, as opposed to 6, which is usually required.

On the assurances of Vitaly Shota, who directed this project, the basic scheme of the escalator meets all international safety standards, including emergency stop and smooth start-up. Control over the operation of all lanes of the lift is carried out from the dispatcher's room located on Mira Avenue. In fact, it is a twin of a similar structure at the same station of the Arbat-Pokrovskaya line, only 2 meters longer. Similarity is reflected in the design work - the same 92 fluorescent lamps as an ornament.

Other "escalator" records

In the world there are many other records related not only to the length of the escalator. Some of this is part of the Guinness Book of Records. For example, the smallest escalator in the world is located in one of the shopping centers of the Japanese city of Kawasaki. The height of this baby is just over 80 centimeters. And it is not known what prompted the creators to establish this creation (the functionality here clearly has nothing to do with it), but it really enjoys popularity. According to statistics, more than 50% of visitors to the shopping center must pass it at least once.

In addition to the escalators installed in the traditional places for them, that is, in the metro or commercial facilities, there are lifts constructed in unusual conditions for them or having a non-standard construction. For example, a huge escalator in the city of Medellin, in Colombia. The peculiarity of this structure is that it is built in one of the poorest areas. The decision to build it was taken by the city administration, based on the location of the area - on a steep slope of the mountain, which caused numerous complaints from residents on the difficulty of descending and ascending. The cumulative length of 6 sections of this escalator is more than 380 meters.

An interesting construction is a sealed underwater escalator installed in the Taiwanese aquarium. "Walking" on it, you can observe the inhabitants of the "underwater kingdom" in a natural habitat and, importantly, observe in safety. Also interesting is the design of this creation of engineering thought - in the form of a zigzag, which allows you, on one step, to visit various depths of the oceanarium.