How it began
In late 1982 the Hong Kong government commissioned the consultants Peter Y.S. Pun and Associates and MVA Asia to study traffic in the residential Mid-Levels district above the Central business area. Their report, A Study of the Transport Requirements of the Mid-Levels and Central District, recommended an escalator-assisted pedestrian route. The system was constructed from 1991 to 1993 and opened on October 15, 1993, running from Queen's Road Central up to Conduit Road.
Before it existed
The steep slope of Hong Kong Island did not allow major roads to be built straight up the hill. The government found that much of the east to west road traffic in the area actually came from people trying to travel north to south between their homes and Central, winding along roads that followed the contours. Residents otherwise climbed stepped streets on foot.
How it works
The route is not one escalator but a chain of 20 escalators and three inclined moving walkways under a continuous cover, linked by footbridges and landings where riders can step off at cross streets. It covers more than 800 meters and rises more than 135 meters. There is a single track, so the direction is switched by time of day: it runs downhill from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. for commuters heading to work and uphill from 10:30 a.m. to midnight.
What lasted
The system showed that public escalators could work as hillside mass transport for a dense city and not only as a feature inside buildings. Beyond daily use by residents, the route became a visitor attraction, because it passes through a historic district and delivers people to the Soho dining and nightlife area that grew up alongside it. The Hong Kong Tourism Board lists it among the places to visit.
Where it stands today
The equipment has been renewed in stages. Replacement escalators between Robinson Road and Conduit Road at the top of the system went into operation on July 11, 2018. Three refurbished escalators between Mosque Street and Robinson Road followed in early 2019, and two replaced escalators between Caine Road and Elgin Street opened in June 2019, with further sections refurbished after that.
