-Elevator Industry Calls for Stronger Maintenance

In June 2025, a passenger with large luggage was trapped for 15 minutes inside an elevator at Chengdu East Railway Station. The station only arranged for a manual rescue and failed to activate a backup elevator for passenger dispersal, ultimately causing the passenger to miss their train.

In May 2025, an escalator at Terminal 2 of Guangzhou Baiyun Airport suddenly stopped, stranding over 20 passengers. Three of them missed their boarding time, leading to disputes with the airline. A subsequent investigation revealed the malfunction was due to a worn drive chain that hadn't been replaced in time.

In April 2025, an elevator malfunction at Shanghai Hongqiao Transportation Hub exposed significant maintenance loopholes. A third-party inspection report indicated that some elevators in the hub had overdue load tests, their safety contacts had severe dust accumulation, and their light curtains were slow to react.

These incidents of elevator failures causing passengers to miss flights have attracted widespread attention from the public. Experts pointed out that such accidents are mostly caused by insufficient maintenance and delayed emergency response by elevator management. The industry urgently needs to optimize the maintenance system and improve the reliability of elevator operation.

Industry Recommendations: Shifting from Reactive to Proactive Maintenance

In response to the issues highlighted, the Elevator Association and technical experts propose the following directions for optimizing maintenance and upkeep:

1. Promote "All-Inclusive Maintenance" Model to Strengthen Management Responsibility

Drawing on Shenzhen's pilot experience, elevator manufacturers or professional maintenance companies should assume "full lifecycle management." This would prevent property management companies from opting for substandard services in an effort to cut costs.

The newly revised "Safety Technical Specifications for Special Equipment" in 2025 is set to shorten the maintenance cycle for elevators in public transport areas from 15 days to 10 days.

2. Leverage IoT + AI for Predictive Maintenance

Install sensors for real-time monitoring of elevator data such as vibration, noise, and temperature increases. Use AI algorithms to predict malfunctions (e.g., one Guangzhou manufacturer saw a 40% reduction in failure rates after piloting this).

Explore "blockchain maintenance records" to eliminate fraudulent paper logs.

3. Enhance Emergency Response and Passenger Diversion Mechanisms

Transportation hubs should establish "backup escalator express lanes" to ensure a switch to alternative equipment within 5 minutes if the main elevator malfunctions.

Promote automatic alarm systems for trapped passengers, linking them directly to monitoring centers and rescue personnel.

Li Ming, Secretary-General of the China Elevator Association, stated, "2025 will be a pivotal year for elevator maintenance, shifting from 'reactive firefighting' to 'proactive fire prevention.' With the deepening implementation of the 'Three-Year Action Plan for Elevating Elevator Safety,' new technological models like IoT-driven maintenance and on-demand inspections are expected to cover public transportation sectors in major cities within 2 to 3 years."

As the "last mile" facility of modern travel, the reliability of elevators is directly related to public safety and efficiency. Only through the triple guarantee of technology upgrades, system improvements and humanistic care can the management truly achieve the service goals of "zero missed flights" and "zero trapped people".