Work to install (replace) the escalator from the subway-linked second basement up to the first basement at the Palaceside Building is nearly finished. From the morning of December 25 a brand-new, gleaming machine has been running (photos above and below right). For nearly three months since late September the escalator was stopped and the side stairs were narrower; we put users to great inconvenience (photo below left). Thank you for your cooperation.
The previous escalator was installed 25 years ago — the second generation in the 50 years since the building opened in 1966. This work replaces the worn unit with a new third generation.
The new escalator reflects 25 years of technical progress. Sensors at the landings slow it when no one uses it for a time and return it to normal speed when someone approaches. There is an emergency stop near the landings; pressing it does not jerk to a halt at once but, after a very short pause,
stops, so riders are less likely to lurch forward.
The steps are brighter too (photo at right). Lighted poles at the landings show whether it is running up or down: a green arrow when you may board, a red “no entry” when you may not.
It runs up from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and down from 6:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.; the green and red displays switch as well (photo at left below).
This time we changed makers, and the size is slightly different. For that
reason the marble walls around the escalator need repair. That work alone did not finish by this day and will likely take through January. Temporary repairs are in place until then; they do not affect operation, so please use the escalator with confidence.