Changes will be made to the direction of the escalators between the Metro and the Compass level at the Central Railway Station metro station. The four-week-long trial begins on Monday 17 October.
The purpose of the trial is to find out whether changing the direction of the escalators could have an effect on passenger flow at the station and on the platforms. The goal is to help passengers get to the Metro faster and more conveniently.
During the trial, the other one of the middle escalators will take passengers down while the outermost escalators are meant for moving up. Viewed from the Compass level, that is, from the top of the escalators, the second escalator on the left will move down. Therefore, the number of escalators going down and up will not change: one escalator will go down and three up, just as before. The change in the direction of the escalators will remain in place throughout the entire trial.
An audio beacon will be placed near the escalators, next to the HSL card readers, to alert passengers of the reversed direction during the trial. You can also check the direction of the escalators by following the lights above them.
If the trial proves out to be successful, the change in the direction will be made permanent. Later on during the trial, we will also interview passengers to find out whether they think the new arrangement is useful.
Voice your opinion and take a survey by 13 November
You can have your say on the changes made to the escalators by taking a survey conducted by Metropolitan Area Transport Ltd. Based on your answers, we will evaluate whether the trial has been successful and whether the changes should be made permanent.
Additionally, if the changes are deemed useful, we will also take your answers into account when planning similar changes at other stations in the future.
The survey is open until Sunday 13 November.
Take the survey (the link will take you to webropolsurveys.com)
Image: Metropolitan Area Transport Ltd