A section of the newly released reversible escalators on Baixada de la Glòria street that lead to Park Güell broke down twice in just a couple of days. Municipal sources assure that a technician remains stationed there during all the hours of operation of the service, and will continue there well prepared in the coming days, to respond at full speed to any contingency. Then the City Council will proceed to control the situation remotely.
Given that these are pre-electoral days, and on these occasions any inauguration by public administrations always seems very suspicious, at the very least, the government of Mayor Jaume Collboni tried this Monday to report on the premiere of the first two sections of the new infrastructure of a very discreet way.
After all, it is one of the most anticipated works by many residents of the Vallcarca neighborhood. The Baixada de la Glòria is one of the steepest streets in Barcelona – it could well be called the Pujada de l’Infern –, so much so that the City Council has been paying for taxis for the residents of the area for about two years, and will continue to do so until to finish the works, presumably in June. Not everyone can climb this hill happily, and even less so with a couple of grocery bags in their hands.
In addition, people also wonder if the thousands of tourists who come and go here every day will not saturate the service. The new stairs are reversible, they go up and down, and their proper functioning requires a certain coordination and good understanding between users, between those who intend to go up and down at the same time. And with so much neighborhood expectation, any unforeseen event would spread like wildfire.
A few hours after the premiere, people were already sharing and bouncing around the videos from the Baixada de la Glòria information panel that detailed that a section of the new stairs was damaged and out of service. Openings – sorry, premieres – are that cruel.
Municipal sources indicated this Monday late in the afternoon that the problem had already been resolved. But this same Tuesday, early in the morning, a few neighbors reported again with new videos that the infrastructure was damaged again.
“The stoppages occurred due to power surges in the electricity supply,” municipal sources added. The first was 30 minutes and the second was 45. The City Council is already working with the company to regulate the flow and avoid new increases.”
Meanwhile, the technician sent will ensure that if a new breakdown occurs, the repair is so quick that the neighbors do not have time to record it.
