All Ten Roosevelt Island Subway Escalators Out of Service - Pass the Oxygen Cannisters

Roosevelt Islanders using the subway should be prepared with oxygen cannisters as they make their way up the 157 steps from the subway platform to the street today because Roosevelt Island 360 is reporting that:

Today is an extemely bad day for the subway escalators at Roosevelt Island. Ten Escalators are out of service. Ten out of Ten. This is absolutely ridiculous and who ever the station manager is should be in big trouble for not demanding repair crews working all night to fix the escaltors that are not even under construction.

MTA elevator status page is here.

What happened to these new escalators just installed?

Image by Kevin Smith

Maybe the MTA needs to read this from How Stuff Works on escalators:

The core of an escalator is a pair of chains, looped around two pairs of gears. An electric motor turns the drive gears at the top, which rotate the chain loops. A typical escalator uses a 100 horsepower motor to rotate the gears. The motor and chain system are housed inside the truss, a metal structure extending between two floors. Instead of moving a flat surface, as in a conveyer belt, the chain loops move a series of steps. The coolest thing about an escalator is the way these steps move. As the chains move, the steps always stay level. At the top and bottom of the escalator, the steps collapse on each other, creating a flat platform. This makes it easier to get on and off the escalator.

You Tube Escalator video is here.

UPDATE - 9:20 PM: MTA Emergency Escalator SWAT team to the rescue. MTA elevator status page is now reporting only 6 of the 10 Roosevelt Island escalators are out of service.

Roosevelt Island Subway Escalators Help Find Your Soul Mate - All 10 Are Working Too

Image of Roosevelt Island Subway Escalators from Roosevelt Island Historical Society President Judy Berdy

Though I am out of town this week and cannot confirm by personal observation, I am overjoyed to learn from a reader that after a long absence, all ten Roosevelt Island subway escalators are working today and the middle staircase is open as well. I am hesitant to accept that this is a permanent condition for the Roosevelt Island subway escalators since the MTA Elevator & Escalator status page still lists some Roosevelt Island escalators as being out of service for capital repairs. I remain hopeful that the status page has not yet caught up to the reality on the ground.

We also learn via a Roosevelt Island resident and filmmaker why it took the MTA so long to get the Roosevelt island escalators back in service. The escalators may have been installed with magical matchmaking powers. According to Jeff Lee, not only do the escalators transport riders up and down to the platforms, but they talk to you as well and will help you find your soul mate or at least a date for the evening. Even more reason to come to Roosevelt Island!

You Tube Video of Roosevelt Island Talking Subway Escalator from Jeff Lee

Subway Escalator Update - Is Pointing Out the Number of Roosevelt Island Escalators an Aspersion on RIOC and/or MTA?

Image of escalator replacements by Kevin Smith

RIOC President Steve Shane responds below to this earlier post concerning the escalator replacement at the Roosevelt Island subway station that pointed out only 8 of 10 escalators were being replaced. Mr. Shane forwards the message below from MTA's Alissa Kosowsky, Assistant Director of Government & Community Relations, explaining why only 8 of the 10 Roosevelt Island subway escalators are being replaced. He also takes umbrage at his perceived tone of the post which he believed cast certain aspersions. Decide for yourself.

From Mr. Shane:

Further response to both of your aspersions about 10 escalators vs 8
under repair.

"The easy answer is that those two escalators are newer than the
others and do not need replacement. I am working on getting you their exact
age.
Alissa"

My response:

Thank you for the additional material regarding the two escalators not being repaired. I will certainly update post to reflect information.

However, your characterization of my post as casting "aspersions" is troubling to me because that is never my intention nor do I think the post can be reasonably read to be an "aspersion" which is defined by Merrriam-Webster as " a false or misleading charge meant to harm someone's reputation ". My observation was a reasonable inquiry as to why MTA is only replacing 8 of 10 escalators, particularly when not too long ago all ten elevators were out of service.

Do you really think that anything in the post was false, misleading or meant to harm someone's reputation? If so, specifically what?

Also, FYI - The Up escalator from the lower mezzanine to mid-level mezzanine was not working at approximately 3:20 this afternoon.

Back to Shane:

If I'm too sensitive to your nuance so that I read into your post the underlying message of don't those dopes even realize that there are 10 escalators, not 8, then I apologize. I intended the use of "casting aspersions", as written, in the context.

Accepted.

UPDATE: I forgot to mention that on the same day as this exchange, I was admonished during Community Planning Board 8 Park's committee meeting for being rude. I guess my mother never taught me manners.