Did you know that the longest escalators in the Southern Hemisphere, can be found at Sydney’s Central Station, one of Australia’s busiest transport hubs?
Nine connected escalators, each spanning 45 metres long and weighing 26 tonnes, are now securely in place at the new Metro station box underground, which will link the rails, suburban trains, and the metro lines that have yet to be completed.
This new set will form part of the total 42 escalators to be installed at Central, stretching 955 metres from end to end, per Sydney Metro.
Currently, the longest escalator in the Southern Hemisphere is installed at the Parliament Station in Melbourne, which is 30 metres long. A Russian metro station in Saint Petersburg holds the title for the longest escalator in the world at 138 metres. Some commuters take books to read when they go up and down these long escalators.
In addition to the escalators underground, a new 80-metre Central Walk for pedestrians was also completed for platforms 16 to 23. Transport Minister David Elliott said that the first phase of this construction is ready for its opening sometime in 2022.
“When complete, this underground link will make it easier for customers to connect with train, bus light rail, and metro services,” Mr Elliot stated during a press conference with Premier Dominic Perrottet as they inspected the installation.
Mr Perrottet, on the other hand, said that the progress of this $955-million infrastructure project has been “the biggest improvement to the station in decades.”
“This new development is in keeping with the aesthetics and the beauty of the most iconic station in the country,” he said.
The escalators will also link to the new Sydney Metro City and Southwest Metro lines that are scheduled to open in 2024. Once fully operational, travel time from Central to Martin Place’s station is estimated to take under four minutes, whilst it will take 15 minutes to get to the Chatswood Station in the Lower North Shore.