Miscreants have turned escalators, meant to ease the lives of weary commuters, into sources of frustration and inconvenience. According to data provided by Central Railway (CR), over 85% of escalator shutdowns at suburban railway stations in Mumbai are caused by people deliberately pressing the emergency stop button.
According to Rajnish Goyal, Divisional Railway Manager of Central Railway’s Mumbai division, more than 150 escalators installed at suburban stations were shut down nearly 21,000 times in a month on average, and around 18,000 of these incidents were due to mischief involving the stop button.
“On average, escalators are halted around 700 times a day, with approximately 600 of these stoppages attributed to someone pressing the emergency stop button” said an official . The problem doesn’t end there. Officials have reported instances of deliberate damage, including people throwing slippers, keys, and cloth pieces into the machinery or damaging the handrails. Only 8% of escalator stoppages are attributed to genuine reasons, such as maintenance, technical glitches, or passenger safety concerns.
A senior Central Railway officer stated, “We are facing a serious issue due to the behavioral tendencies of some commuters. It is impossible to catch the miscreants during rush hours when the stations are crowded. This is a significant challenge, and we are focusing on educating passengers to stop such actions.”
“To address these frequent disruptions, 100 employees have been deployed daily to monitor and restart the escalators. These employees receive alert messages on their mobile phones as soon as an escalator shuts down and rush to resolve the issue” he said.
“Restarting the escalators has become a constant task for our staff,” said another official. “This diverts their attention from assisting passengers in other ways. Educating the public and instilling a sense of responsibility is the only solution.”
The Central Railway is working on campaigns to raise awareness among passengers and curb such behavior, but the sheer scale of the problem highlights the need for stricter enforcement and monitoring.
CR has urged commuters to respect public property and consider the inconvenience their actions cause to others. “Misusing essential facilities like escalators not only disrupts the system but also creates unnecessary strain on resources and railway staff” said an official.
