Hong Kong’s Commuter Escalator

Central–Mid-Levels Escalators in Hong Kong. — CCL photo by Chris Yunker.

Escalators may not be what comes to mind when you think of mass transit. However, the Mid-Levels Escalator in Hong Kong moves over 70,000 pedestrians each day from one part of the city to another.

HK Central Cochrane Street Central-Mid-Levels escalators — CCL photo by WingLuk.

I first heard about the Mid-Levels Escalator while watching the film Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong and had to find out more.

Shelley Street Central-Mid-Levels escalators in Hong Kong — Shelley Street in Hong Kong. CCL photo by Maucaine.

Turns out, it’s the world’s longest covered escalator system. In fact, it’s so large and so widely used that shops, bars, and other businesses have sprung up alongside it to take advantage of the built-in foot traffic.

Sai Ying Pun Centre Street Escalators — CCL photo by Rome Picasso 2018 MDUHSYE.

The 800m- (1/2 mile-) series of outdoor escalators and moving walkways connects the Central District’s skyscrapers with the residential area up the hill, known as Mid-Levels.

LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics Asia Hong Kong 21 Lyndhurst Terrace Central-Mid-Levels escalators interior — Lyndhurst Terrace Central-Mid-Levels escalators interior. CCL photo by Tpechncoam.

Just like reversible lanes on a roadway, the direction changes to accommodate the daily commute – one-way escalators moving downhill for the morning rush hours and then uphill the rest of the day.

Hong Kong – Central-Mid-Levels escalators. CCL photo by Deror avi.

It opened in 1993 and is currently undergoing renovations a section at a time.

Sai Ying Pun Centre Street August Escalators — Sai Ying Pun Centre Street. CCL photo by Rome Picasso 2018 MDUHSYE.

Like a funicular (without any sort of tram car), it’s another clever way to get up a hill!

– More Info –

Hong Kong Mid-Levels Escalator

History and How-to (a step-by-step journey)
Why Use the Mid-Levels Escalator
Construction updates
Central-Mid-Levels Escalator “Connect‧Community‧Culture” Drawing Competition Artwork

Hong Kong street at night — Scene from the film Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong.

Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong film

Now available on Amazon Prime
My review

April 12, 2018March 10, 2026

On an Uphill Track: Funiculars

Los Angeles funicular Angels Flight - current

I first encountered the word funicular on a hillside in Sedona. Known as the “Hillevator” (hill + elevator), the small railway gave tourists a shortcut between Uptown Sedona and L’Auberge Resort and Oak Creek at the bottom of the hill.

Hillavator funicular in Sedona — Our friends in the “Hillavator” that used to be in Sedona.

While I’m a bit fuzzy on the exact definition (I think it involves cables and pulleys), a funicular is basically a passenger vehicle that goes up and down a hill on a track.

Hillavator Sedona by Tiffany Joyce. CC BY-NC-ND

By nature, they’re very localized and customized to the spot they’re in. Maybe that’s why I find them intriguing.

Angels Flight Railway, Los Angeles, California

While Sedona’s Hillevator is now out of commission, another quirky old funicular has recently come back to life. After its brief appearance in the movie La La Land, the push to restore the Angels Flight Railway in Downtown Los Angeles may have gained steam, and it reopened in August of 2017.

Called “The Shortest Railroad in the World,” it travels a single block.
At the bottom: Grand Central Market
At the top: California Plaza – Los Angeles Musuem of Contemporary Art, Grand Performances amphitheater, and restaurants
Virtual 3D tour
In 1901, Colonel James Ward Eddy built the Angels Flight funicular. More recently, his great-great-grandson built the Angels Flight app.
One way: $1

Penang Hill Railway, Penang, Malaysia

Longest Funicular Track in Asia
Located on the Malaysian island of Penang
At the bottom: Jalan Bukit Bendera base station near George Town.
At the top: former British hill station Penang Hill. The resort town’s attractions include the three-storey Astaka Cliff Cafe, which houses food courts, souvenir stands, an owl museum, and Love Lock Penang Hill.
Round trip: RM 30 (standard), RM 80 (fast lane)

Gelmer Funicular, Innertkirchen, Switzerland

Known as the steepest in Europe – with 106% grades!
One of six different modes of sightseeing transportation in the alpine Grimsel Pass. Depending on the season and your level of adventurousness, you can also take a gondola lift, train, or the not-so-steep Reichenbach Funicular (replica of an 1899 wagon. Round trip: CHF 12).
At the bottom: Suspension bridge over the Handeck gorge and waterfall
At the top: Gelmer Lake
Grimselwelt lake and mountainside webcams
Round trip: CHF 32

100 Street Funicular, Edmonton, Alberta

Opened this past December to provide wheelchair and stroller access to river valley trail system.
Has already been out of service repeatedly, partly because of cold weather. (Not sure why that was a surprise in Canada!)
At the bottom: River Valley Promenade
At the top: Promontory viewpoint, Hotel Macdonald
Free

Ascensores e Elevador, Lisbon, Portugal

Part of Lisbon’s transit system
Ascensores Lavra, Bica, and Glória are 3 historic funicular lines, dating back to the late 1800s (€3.70/two rides)
The Santa Justa Lift, a 13-storey elevator that opened in 1902 (€5.15/two rides)

Wellington Cable Car, Wellington, New Zealand

At the bottom: Wellington city center, Wellington Museum, City Gallery Wellington, Museum of New Zealand / Te Papa Tongarewa
At the top: Wellington Botanic Garden, Cable Car Museum, Kelburn observation platform (virtual tour)
Makes 3 stops and goes through two tunnels with flashing LED light displays.
There are walking paths through the Wellington Botanic Garden (free), in case you decide to purchase a one-way cable car ticket ($4).
Round trip: $7.50

Have you ever ridden in this type of vehicle? Where were you?

Photo sources:

Angels Flight by Channone Arif (CCL)

Sedona –

From a print of a photo I took in the early 2000s. Our friend Ozan was joking around with his hands on the window. (He’s not trapped in there or anything.)
Tiffany Joyce (CCL). She actually got married in Sedona when the Hillavator was still in operation!

Los Angeles –

1901 photo via Metro Library Archive (CCL)
2017 photo by Woolennium (CCL)

Penang Hill –

Cliff Cafe via Penang Hill
Penang Hill Funicular by Hzh (CCL)

Switzerland –

Gelmerbahn. Picture: KWO / Photo: Rolf Neeser
Wildflowers. Picture: KWO / Photo: David Birri

Edmonton –

Funicular via City of Edmonton
Walkway via City of Edmonton

Lisbon –

Glória Funicular by Ex13 (CCL)
Santa Justa Elevador via Lisbon-Tourism.com

Wellington –

View of Wellington image via WellingtonNZ.com
Tunnel via Wellington Cable Car Limited

July 22, 2017April 10, 2026

Love Unlocked

Over the past several years, the phenomenon of love locks (or “love padlocks”) has spread to 5 continents.

To symbolize their love, couples place a lock – often with their names written or engraved on it – on a bridge or fence or sculpture and throw away the key.

Locks Are Cheap

It’s an activity most popular with tourists, who often believe they’re participating in a harmless local custom. Perhaps they feel that snapping the lock shut binds them to the city, as well as their partner. Like carving initials into a tree, it’s a way people leave their mark on a place they love, unaware they’re damaging it in the process.
Continue reading “Love Unlocked”

February 11, 2016November 25, 2023

Already Tomorrow: a Hong Kong Rom-Com

If a romantic comedy took place inside a guidebook, it might look a lot like Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong. The indie movie revolves around Ruby and Josh, two Americans in Hong Kong, who randomly meet. And then meet again.

It’s the first feature film written and directed by Emily Ting, who has previously directed documentaries and shorts.

Already Tomorrow is set entirely on location with city’s skyscrapers, dive joints, outdoor markets, neon-lit streets, crowded tourist hangouts, and garment district tailor shops as backdrops. Not only is there a running joke about Josh buying Ruby a guidebook, it’s sprinkled with Lonely Planet-esque tips about things like bargaining with street vendors, not expecting to find a cross-harbor taxi late at night, and the fact that the mid-levels escalator is outdoors.

Josh and Ruby’s conversations as they move through Hong Kong comprise the bulk of the film, and they are played by two actors who bring nuance and charm to their respective roles.

Actor (and fashion blogger) Jamie Chung, who co-stars as Ruby, was most recently in Academy-Award winning Big Hero 6 and actually got her start on The Real World. Opposite her, as Josh, is Bryan Greenberg, who grew up acting at summer camp and appeared in Friends with Benefits before doing a slew of indie films. The pair are now real-life married, so, apparently, not all the on-screen chemistry had to be manufactured.

The film starts slow with a lot of initial dialogue that could be reframed as 5-paragraph essay topics. (Think “Explain the difference between an expat and an immigrant.” or “Do you feel people are on their phones too much? Why or why not?”) Those exchanges feel more like talking points than authentic conversation – even awkward, just-met conversation.

That said, the movie picks up after the first 30 minutes or so. Not to say it’s ever action-packed, but the story gets more interesting and the dialogue begins to feel increasingly natural and reflective of the character’s personalities. You start to see the interplay between Josh’s impulsive, in-the-moment nature and Ruby’s more line-towing, long-term-thinking ways.

The soundtrack is a mix of acoustic and pop songs. I really dug the music in the performance by actual (but now retired) Hong Kong band Noughts and Exes.

Overall, Already Tomorrow is pleasant to watch and makes you feel as if you’ve been to Hong Kong. Or, at least, spent some time wandering through the glossy photos of a guidebook.

The film comes out tomorrow (2/12) in select theaters and video on demand and is available for pre-order on iTunes now. It’d go perfectly with takeout and PJs.

—
Images and preview courtesy of Gravitas Ventures.