The East Coast Railway (ECoR) has commissioned an escalator at platform number 1 of the Bhubaneswar railway station, which is the first of its kind in the ECoR.
Inaugurating the escalator on Wednesday evening, Divisional Railway Manager of Khurda Road Division SK Mohanty informed that one more escalator has been sanctioned for the Bhubaneswar station and its commissioning is likely to take place by the end of this financial year (2013-14). This facility is being provided for convenience of patients and senior citizens.
The first escalator was sanctioned during 2009-10. Civil engineering and electrical works relating to commissioning of the escalator had begun in 2012, said Mohanty. The escalator has been provided at a cost of Rs 79.26 lakh.The vertical height of the escalator is 6.3 metre and the width of each pathway is 0.75 metre having waterproof covering.
There are two pathways having 32 steps in the escalator which can carry a total 120 of passengers per minute with a speed of 0.5 metre per second. Thus, the distance from the ground level to the foot over-bridge can be covered in a few seconds only. The escalator can be operated for ascending as well as descending.
The East Coast Railway (ECoR) has requested the passengers to take following precautions while using the escalator: Hold the handrails while ascending /descending firmly; keep your feet away from the edges of the steps; keep your feet within yellow lines; hold children and elderly people firmly; face the direction of travel; move away from the escalator after reaching the destination; Do not use bare feet; wheel chair and heavy baggage are not permitted; running on the steps may be dangerous; avoid wearing loose garments and loose laces.; do not spill water or put any foreign objects on the escalator; and in case of emergency press the “Red Emergency Stop Button”.