A passenger lift requires an inspection every six months by a "competent person ". This inspection took me approximately one hour for a two/three floor lift with the time increasing pro rata for subsequent floors. Of that time roughly forty minutes would be with the lift in "inspection mode" which may be recorded as down time. Very rarely would the lift be electrically isolated for more than a minute or two.
This is interesting information, thank you.
thestairclimbingcompany.com
At Canning Town there is a DLR Beckton platform at high level, the Jubilee Line at an intermediate level, and the concourse at bottom level. One lift serves all three.
www.london.gov.uk
I imagine on cruise liners they have some redundancy, that is, they aren't totally reliant on one single lift to get between two decks. This is the problem with station lifts ... there's often no redundancy at all (understandably to some extent due to limited space)
They say where it's from here:
stationlifts.org.uk
This is very true, one of the slowest lifts I have encountered.
Reliability is directly connected to the amount of money spent on the design/installation, and the amount of money spent on maintenance - preventative and reactive. The lifts at Covent Garden are probably some of the most heavily used in the entire country, and have been updated multiple times at huge expense. That same level of investment is likely not viable for the vast majority of station lifts across the UK.
Statistically, you're not likely to see the quick fixes - by their very nature, the disruption is short lived - but that doesn't mean they don't happen. When they've broken because of something obvious and easily fixed, like something getting stuck in the door runners, they're probably fixed before anyone (other than those waiting at the time) has even noticed. Without specifically monitoring the availability, it's difficult to get a clear indication from just casual observation. Place I used to work in, if you only came in every Monday morning you'd be convinced the lifts were constantly broken - but actually despite the "Not In Use" lights - they were actually working fine, and being used to load stock from the non-public side.
From an operational point of view, the TOC I work for will do as much as they can if they are aware of a passenger who needs a lift, replatforming being the obvious first choice. But also getting off early and providing a taxi, or taking people a stop beyond and then back to a suitable platform.
Sure, I know these kinds of things can be done at some stations.
I think you have to make it difficult for the TOC unfortunately, they care about delays and complaints figures.
Another strange thing about this lift (which I use on a regular basis) is that the "security has been called" button is often illuminated, despite there being no obvious problem. The lift is working while this is happening and there's no sign of any security waiting on either the ground floor or the bridge. I have mentioned this to platform staff, but with no obvious results.
Modern lifts will - mostly - have a preset evacuation level all lifts will return to and open the doors at, in the event of a fire alarm in its host building. I have had a lift turn round halfway up a building, quite the odd experience!
This depends on how the lift is programmed. Most will drop all calls and move to ground floor where they will open the doors, leave them open and come out of service. Another option is for the lift to consult the fire alarm system and, if the ground floor is where the fire is, move to a designated alternative floor where the doors will open and the lift shut down as before.
