Complex train station design challenges installers, who devise a custom monorail system to move escalator sections

Image above - Left: The escalators meet the facility's intense traffic needs, 24h a day. Right: Yitzchak Navon Train Station

Photos by Sigal Segev Kurz

This article was originally published in the January 2021 edition of Elevator World magazine

While the elevators provided are impressive in and of themselves - some featuring glass doors and panoramic views - it's the story of how the escalators were installed that stands out.

We care a lot about height in the vertical­transportation industry. Getting passengers to the top of the world's tallest skyscrapers is a feat akin to climbing the tallest mountains. However, in the world of public­infrastructure escalators, it's not height, but depth, that gets the glory. Turn a mountain upside-down, and you get something similar to the Yitzchak Navon Train Station in Jerusalem, where Otis escalators and elevators seamlessly transport passengers from the 'top' (street level) to the 'bottom' (train platform) some 80 m below.

The facility is the world's deepest heavy-rail passenger station and fourth-deepest underground station, featuring a tunnel approximately 1 mi long. Its entrance is located at an elevation of 815 m, with most of the station's 60,000 m2 of floorspace underground. The descent to the passenger platforms is accomplished using either a vertical shaft in an oval cut, which includes six elevators, emergency stairs and ventilation shafts, or a 12-unit system consisting of three sets of four escalators, each section of which is 45 m long. The facility's lower level includes the station, platforms with escalators and technical structure, including ventilation blowers, generators, cooling units and electrical rooms. Due to the depth of the station, vast amounts of air must be pumped in from street level, and a system for air emission and smoke release in emergencies is required.

Otis provided 25 of its heaviest high-rise escalators (13 515 NPE-model escalators and 12 520 NPE units), 12 elevators (nine Gen2 elevators, including eight Gen2 Premier and one Gen2 Comfort) and three locally designed elevators based on Otis components. This was through Electra Elevators, which has been Otis' exclusive distributor in Israel since 1967.

The primary project challenge came in solving how to move the 12 520 NPE escalators into the site for installation, then lifting and positioning them into place. Each escalator weighs approximately 32 T. and was divided into six segments prior to installation. The creative engineering and logistical solution involved utilizing a custom monorail system anchored to the tunnel ceiling through which installation teams could transport each escalator segment through the hoistway.

While the elevators provided are impressive in and of themselves - some featuring glass doors and panoramic views - it's the story of how the escalators were installed that stands out. Shoham Saporta, vice president of engineering for Electra Elevators, summarized:

Left: A cross-section of the deep station
Right: The project also includes a 10-year service contract that starts after a warranty period.

'Israeli Railways is one of our biggest customers ..We used the monorail system, fitted with a large and heavy drum winch, to lift, place and install each escalator and worked around the clock to get it accomplished. As a result, we were able to install the 12 units in just one-and-a-half months.'


The heavy-duty escalators serve as the primary means of moving train passengers to and from the platform far below. They are at an inclination of 30° and in three groups of four escalators each. In total, they travel approximately 1 km. To meet the demands of heavy use, they have a rectangular tube truss and sealed welds, which both protect from corrosion and enhance structural rigidity, enabling longer spans without intermediate supports. Rigorous component testing is a key part of the process: escalator steps are dynamically tested under load, not 5 million times (as required by standards), but 20 million times. Steps are also subjected to breakage tests to ensure their quality and durability.

In addition to the 12 escalators that descend to the train platform, the remaining escalators and some of the elevators are utilized in the building above. Several of the Gen2 elevators travel from the ground level to the train platform (for general and handicapped passengers), and others function as service elevators. Since the building is used for public transportation, all units had to be compliant with EN 81-70. Given the site's limited access during construction, some elevators and escalators, once installed, were used to help move workers and materials for installation.

The escalators are part of a sustainable development approach. Their ReGen drives capture energy produced by the units and return it to the building's electrical network. Energy savings can reach 60%, compared to that of escalators not so equipped. Safety components include acrylic protective deflectors; top-height, fall-protection railings; yellow, painted dividing lines; aluminum and stainless-steel steps; rounded stair nosings; protective barriers; low-friction baseboards; black or aluminum brush deflectors; combs with yellow inserts; nonslip, stainless-steel combplates with rubber inserts; and nonslip, stainless-steel landing plate with rubber inserts.

After the escalators were assembled and placed in their final positions, scaffolds were placed directly on top of their steps to provide access to the monorail for dismantling. The project was completed in May 2018.

Yitzchak Navon Train Station

Also known as the Ha'Uma Station, the station serves the A1 high-speed train line from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv. Officially named after Jerusalem native Yitzchak Navon, the fifth president of Israel, it's located near the Binyanei Ha'Uma International Convention Center and constitutes part of a major public transportation hub, situated adjacent to the Jerusalem Central Bush Station and station serving the Jerusalem Light Rail.

Credits:
Owner: Israel Railways
General contractor: Electra Ltd.
Architect: Barchana Architects & Town Planners
Project consultant engineer: ESL - Eng. S. Lusting Consulting Engineers Ltd.
Service provider, equipment manufacturer an component supplier: Otis (through Electra Elevators, Otis' exclusive representative in Israel)

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Otis Worldwide Corporation published this content on 12 January 2021 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 12 January 2021 11:07:09 UTC