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A report by The Basin found that LA Metro specifies escalators at 90 feet per minute, slower than the typical operating speeds reported for many transit systems worldwide. Its model estimates that matching Hong Kong’s common speed could save riders time, but the calculation relies on broad assumptions and does not establish the cost or feasibility of changing Metro’s equipment.
LA Metro specifies its station escalators to run at 90 feet per minute, slower than typical operating speeds reported in many of the 42 cities compared by The Basin. The outlet’s review of rules in 139 cities found Metro’s specified speed below the maximum allowed in every city on its list, raising questions about rider travel time and the limits imposed by safety codes.
The Basin compared legal speed limits across 139 cities in 58 countries and separately compiled operating speeds where it could find them. Its sources for operating speeds included operator documents, a national registry, engineering papers and statements quoted in news reports. The report says each operating-speed figure was checked against its source. This was not a direct measurement of escalators in all 139 cities.
For Los Angeles, the report uses Metro’s design specification of 90 feet per minute, or about 0.46 meters per second. It lists Hong Kong’s typical MTR station speed as 0.75 meters per second, about 148 feet per minute. The Basin calculates that pace is roughly 64% faster than Metro’s specified speed. The report also says Metro operates 171 station escalators across 115 stations.
To estimate time spent riding, The Basin modeled the 27 underground stations using FY2026 average weekday ridership figures it says came from a public-records response. Under its assumptions, riders spend about 300,000 minutes on escalators on an average weekday, or about 1.7 million hours annually. Matching Hong Kong’s typical speed in the model would save an estimated 119,000 minutes each weekday, or about 670,000 hours a year. For a commuter traveling between two underground stations every workday, the modeled saving is about 9.5 hours annually.
How Escalator Speed Affects Trips
The comparison puts a familiar part of a transit trip into measurable terms: escalators can add time to the journey, particularly at deep underground stations. The Basin illustrates this with Civic Center/Grand Park, where the platform-to-street ascent is about 65 feet. For someone standing still, it estimates an 87-second ride at Metro’s specified speed and about 53 seconds at Hong Kong’s usual speed.
Those figures are estimates for an individual climb, while the annual savings are model results based on ridership and simplified assumptions. They do not show how much time any particular rider loses in practice. Still, they indicate why speed specifications may matter at busy stations: small differences per ride can add up when many riders use escalators each day.
The report also compares Metro’s specification with the 100-feet-per-minute U.S. code limit cited for new installations and speed alterations in California. The Basin estimates that raising Metro’s speed to that limit would cut modeled riding time by 10%, equivalent to about 30,000 minutes each weekday. It says LAX specifies 100 feet per minute, showing that the subway’s 90-feet-per-minute specification is not the only escalator standard used in the Los Angeles area.
The Rules Behind Metro’s Speed
Escalator operators set speeds within limits established by safety codes. The Basin says most of the cities in its rules review follow one of two principal standards, or a national version of one. It describes the European standard as allowing 0.75 meters per second on inclines up to 30 degrees. The American standard cited in the report caps escalators at 100 feet per minute, or about 0.508 meters per second. California applies that limit to new installations and speed alterations.
Metro’s specified 90 feet per minute sits below that U.S. maximum. The report does not establish why Metro chose that speed or whether its escalators could safely and practically run faster. It says the answer to why American transit escalators generally run more slowly than those in many other countries is not fully clear.
The speed comparison is also not a simple measure of which transit system provides the quickest trip overall. The operating-speed chart includes cities with different escalator networks and reported typical speeds. The Basin lists seven cities at 0.75 meters per second, including Hong Kong, London and Singapore, while LA and New York are listed at 0.46. These are reported typical operating speeds, not a survey in which the report measured every escalator on site.
““We don’t have the whole answer””
— The Basin
Costs, Equipment and Rider Effects
The annual time savings are not an observed count of time Metro riders spend on escalators. The Basin assumes every underground station is about as deep as Civic Center, every rider uses an escalator in both directions and riders stand still. It also assumes all escalators run at Metro’s specified speed. In practice, riders may walk, use stairs or take elevators. The report says transfers complicate ridership figures, and its model excludes elevated stations. It notes that Union Station’s street-level platforms and transfers at 7th St/Metro Center also affect the ridership estimates.
The report gives no reliable cost estimate for changing escalator speeds across Metro’s system. It also does not establish whether Metro’s current equipment could operate at higher speeds. Matching Hong Kong would require addressing both the code limit and equipment capability, according to The Basin.
Higher speed may also bring trade-offs. The report cites measurements by Singapore transit engineers indicating nearly twice as much step vibration at 0.75 meters per second as at 0.5. It says Singapore’s escalators use the faster setting during rush hour and a slower one off-peak. The supplied report material does not provide further details about those measurements or quantify safety outcomes for different speeds. It is also unclear whether Metro has assessed a speed change or plans to do so.
Metro’s Options and Further Evidence
The Basin says it does not have a reliable price for increasing speeds across Metro’s network. Any practical assessment would need to establish which escalators could accommodate a change, what work would be required, and how applicable codes and safety requirements would shape the options. The report does not announce a Metro decision, schedule or proposal to raise speeds.
The clearest comparison within the report is the gap between Metro’s 90-feet-per-minute specification and California’s 100-feet-per-minute limit. The modeled savings at that limit are smaller than those estimated for Hong Kong’s speed, and neither estimate accounts for all rider choices or station differences. Direct information from Metro about the reason for its specification, the condition of its equipment and any review of operating speeds would help clarify what changes are possible.
The Basin says its next escalator investigation will examine safety. Until additional reporting or a Metro assessment provides more detail, the potential time savings should be treated as estimates based on the report’s stated assumptions, rather than a forecast of actual system-wide results.
Key Questions
How fast does LA Metro specify its escalators to run?
The Basin reports a Metro design specification of 90 feet per minute, about 0.46 meters per second.
How does that compare with Hong Kong’s MTR?
The Basin says most MTR station escalators typically run at 0.75 meters per second, about 148 feet per minute. It calculates this is roughly 64% faster than Metro’s specified speed.
How much time could faster escalators save?
In The Basin’s model, matching Hong Kong’s typical speed would save about 119,000 minutes each weekday, or about 670,000 hours a year. The estimate assumes all riders at 27 underground stations take escalators both ways and stand still, among other simplifying assumptions.
Could Metro raise its escalator speed?
The report does not establish whether Metro’s equipment could run faster or what a system-wide change would cost. It says California’s cited limit is 100 feet per minute for new installations and speed alterations, while equipment capability and safety requirements would also matter.
Source: hn
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