A stalled escalator in a busy mall doesn’t just inconvenience shoppers, it becomes a safety issue the moment people start using the steps as stairs. EME Elevators supplies, installs, maintains and modernizes escalators and moving walkways for malls, airports, metro stations, offices and commercial buildings across Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the wider UAE.
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An escalator is a moving staircase that transports people between floors on a continuously circulating loop of steps, driven by an electric motor through a chain and gear system. Handrails move in sync with the steps, and safety systems automatically stop the unit if a fault, obstruction, or overload is detected.
Escalators are built to EN115 (or equivalent regional safety standards) and are engineered differently depending on how many hours a day they run and how much foot traffic they need to handle, which is why choosing the right type matters as much as the installation itself.
Built for near-continuous operation in metro stations, airports and transit hubs. Heavier-duty components, reinforced step chains, and longer service intervals to handle constant, high-volume traffic.
The standard choice for malls, retail centres and office lobbies, balanced for high daily traffic without the continuous-duty specification a transit system needs.
Lower-traffic, narrower-width units suited to boutique retail, showrooms and smaller commercial buildings.
A design feature as much as a functional one, used in flagship retail and hospitality projects where the escalator itself is part of the architecture.
Weatherproofed components and corrosion-resistant finishes for exposed installations, built to handle UAE heat, humidity and dust.
A moving walkway (also called a travelator) moves people horizontally or at a gentle incline instead of vertically, and is EME Elevators’ second core specialism alongside escalators.
Flat moving walkways: 0° incline, ideal for long airport corridors and connecting terminals
Inclined moving walkways: typically up to 12°, suited to malls, supermarkets and stations where trolleys or luggage need to move between levels
Standard pallet widths of 600mm, 800mm and 1000mm, with 1000mm the common choice where trolleys are expected
Comfortable walking-pace speeds, engineered to reduce fatigue on long horizontal distances
| Specification | Typical Range |
|---|---|
| Step / pallet width | 600mm, 800mm, 1000mm |
| Incline angle (escalator) | 30° or 35° |
| Incline angle (moving walkway) | 0° to 12° |
| Speed | 0.5 m/s standard, up to 0.65–0.75 m/s on some models |
| Maximum rise | Up to 10m standard, higher on request for special applications |
| Balustrade | Tempered glass or stainless steel |
Exact specification is matched to your building’s foot traffic, floor-to-floor height, and architectural requirements during the site assessment.
The highest-volume application in the UAE, where escalators and travelators need to handle sustained daily footfall without downtime.
Continuous-duty escalators and long-distance moving walkways designed for heavy, near-constant use.
Lobby and atrium escalators that move visitors between ground-floor levels quickly, often paired with passenger lifts for upper floors.
Escalators connecting lobby, conference and dining levels, frequently specified with a design-forward finish.
Public-facing buildings that need reliable, code-compliant vertical and horizontal transport for daily visitor traffic.
Automatic emergency stop switches at top and bottom landings
Step-level and skirt-brush safety sensors to detect obstructions
Handrail speed monitoring to keep pace matched with the steps
Comb plate sensors that stop the unit if debris or an object is caught
Overload and motor-fault protection with automatic shutdown
Demarcation lighting at entry and exit points for safe boarding
| Configuration | Estimated Price Range (AED) |
|---|---|
| Light commercial escalator | 180,000 – 300,000 |
| Standard commercial escalator (mall/office) | 300,000 – 550,000 |
| Heavy-duty / public transport escalator | 550,000 – 1,000,000+ |
| Moving walkway (per section) | 250,000 – 600,000 |
Final pricing depends on rise height, width, incline, balustrade finish, and duty rating. EME Elevators confirms exact pricing after a free site assessment.
Our team reviews floor-to-floor height, expected traffic, and structural readiness.
Width, incline, speed, duty rating and finish are matched to the building's use.
The steel truss structure is delivered and installed, coordinated with structural and cladding work.
Steps, handrails, drive system, and controls are installed and wired.
Full load and safety testing is completed before the escalator or walkway goes into service.
Documentation, training, and an optional maintenance contract are provided.
An escalator has more than 200 moving components working in constant synchronization, which means small issues, worn step chain rollers, misaligned sprockets, handrail speed drift, show up as passenger-facing faults long before a full breakdown. EME Elevators provides scheduled preventive maintenance, rapid-response repair, and full modernization services (new drives, controls, steps and safety systems) to bring older escalators back up to current safety standards.
An escalator moves people vertically between floors on stepped treads. A moving walkway moves people horizontally, or at a gentle incline up to about 12 degrees, on a flat pallet belt rather than steps.
High-traffic commercial and transit escalators typically need monthly inspections with a full annual service. Lower-traffic units can often run on a quarterly schedule, confirmed during your maintenance contract setup.
In most cases, yes. Modernization can update the drive system, controls, steps and safety systems while reusing the existing truss and structural work, which is usually faster and less disruptive than a full replacement.
A standard commercial escalator installation typically takes several weeks from truss delivery to handover, depending on building coordination and structural readiness. Heavy-duty and custom units take longer.
Yes, EME Elevators supplies and installs escalators and moving walkways across the UAE, including Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Sharjah, Al Ain, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, and Umm Al Quwain.
Our escalators and moving walkways are installed to EN115 (or equivalent regional safety standards) and comply with UAE building and safety regulations.
Share your building type, expected foot traffic, and floor-to-floor height, and our engineering team will confirm the right escalator or moving walkway configuration after a free site assessment.
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