HS Helsinki Have you ever wondered why the railing of a subway escalator progresses faster than steps? There is a carefully considered reason for this

Known, an everyday event.

You stand on the escalator of the subway, your hand resting next to the railing. Thoughts bounced, music might be playing in the headphones.

Suddenly you find that the hand that was just next to you has already escaped forward, farther from the body.

Does the escalator rail go faster than the stairs?

Helsinki project manager of the city’s Finnish Transport Agency, or HKL Anssi Pietilä know about it.

First: yes, the railing runs faster than the steps.

“There is a reason for the handrail to move faster,” Pietilä confirms.

Already in history, from the early stages of escalators, engineers have been designed to keep people upright on the stairs. For this reason, the handrail guides walkers in the direction of travel.

“If the handrail were left, the hand might first be oblique, then at the hip, and finally at the back. This could jerk the walker upside down, ”says Pietilä.

According to him, a small movement in the handrail keeps the passenger alert and helps to focus, allowing the passenger to perceive their space and position better.

HKL the escalators used have a technique that monitors the speed of the handrail in relation to the speed of the step.

Typically, the speed of the handrails is a few percent faster than the progress of the stairs.

“In HKL’s long steps, the difference in speeds is easy to detect, when even a long distance difference is already visible,” says Pietilä.

HKL the longest escalator is currently located at Koivusaari metro station, along the Länsimetro.

The Koivusaari escalator, the longest in Finland, is 76.2 meters long and at an angle of 30 degrees.

Their lifting height is 33.5 meters.

How much faster does the hand taking support from the railing advance on the escalator in Koivusaari than the steps?

According to Pietilä, this is a simple calculation.

If the handrail travels at a percentage faster than the steps, at 76 meters the hand will be 76 centimeters further.

This would mean about four transfers to the hand every half minute.

“About four such” jumps “of about 20 centimeters by hand have to be done in an average of 126 seconds.”