Veritasium
September 11, 2025
The Engineering and Human Failures Behind the Rome Escalator Disaster
TL;DR
A 2018 escalator accident in Rome that injured 24 people resulted from deliberate safety system sabotage and falsified maintenance records by transit authorities, revealing how proper engineering can be undermined by human negligence.
Key Takeaways
- 1Modern escalators use regenerative braking where passenger weight on downward escalators converts mechanical energy into electricity, making them power-efficient and inherently safe under normal conditions.
- 2The Rome escalator disaster was caused by three deliberately disabled safety systems: a weakened main brake (37% of specification), a physically disabled auxiliary brake (plastic straps tied around brake wedges), and turned-off error logging systems.
- 3Escalators evolved from simple 25-degree conveyor belts (1896) to modern designs using George Wheeler's dual-track system that keeps steps level on the incline while flipping them upside down during the return journey.
- 4Safety features like comb plates (interlocking with steps at the top), skirt brushes, and handrails calibrated 2% faster than steps were designed to prevent entrapment and handle the wear of friction over time.
- 5The investigation revealed that Metro Roma and Transit Authority ATAC deliberately sabotaged safety devices to avoid shutdowns, with managers showing callous indifference to passenger safety, describing potential additional accidents as mere 'numbers and percentages.'
- 6When properly maintained, escalators have enormous safety margins with individual components engineered to withstand forces far beyond operational loads, making catastrophic failures virtually impossible without deliberate interference.
- 7Escalator safety ultimately depends on human responsibility and maintenance rather than engineering design, as demonstrated by 1.5 million escalators worldwide handling over 100 billion trips annually in the US and Canada alone.
Notable Quotes
“If you run the numbers, out of 700 escalators, there'd be like three or four more dropping. Come on.”
— ATAC Manager Renato Domico (via wiretap)
“it's critical like that you, that you ensure the right maintenance. That's the most important thing, because in the end, it's all about maintenance.”
— Escalator maintenance professional
“The escalator caused many an incident worthy of the vaudeville, separating families, sending old men sprawling, delighting the children, and reducing their nannies to despair.”
— French historian Philippe Jullian
Chapters
1. The Rome Escalator Disaster
On October 23, 2018, an escalator in Rome's Republica station failed catastrophically as thousands of football fans boarded it, causing nearly 100 people to tumble down the stairs and injuring 24 people. The escalator's three safety systems—main motor control, main brake, and auxiliary brake—all failed within seconds, suggesting foul play.
2. The Evolution of Escalators
Escalators originated in 1896 as a 25-degree conveyor belt attraction at Coney Island by Jesse Reno. Early designs like the revolving stairs created safety hazards at top and bottom. George Wheeler's dual-track system (patented but initially shelved) solved this problem by allowing steps to rotate freely, flip upside down at the loop, and stay level throughout the ride.
3. How Modern Escalators Work
Modern escalators use a small but powerful AC induction motor connected through a reduction gearbox to increase torque 100x and lower RPM. The motor drives a steel chain with steps attached via single axles; dual sets of wheels on each step follow separate tracks to control angle, keeping steps level on inclines and flipping them during return journeys.
4. Regenerative Braking and Power Efficiency
On downward escalators with sufficient passenger weight, the motor no longer needs to power the ride; instead, passenger weight drives the chain faster than the motor's magnetic field can sustain. This induces currents that create a braking force (regenerative braking), converting the escalator into a generator that produces electricity channeled back to building grids.
5. Safety Features and Design
Escalators include multiple safety innovations: comb plates that interlock with grooved steps to prevent entrapment, skirt brushes to block side gaps, handrails calibrated 2% faster than steps to compensate for friction wear, and moving handrails for passenger stability. These features were developed to prevent injuries from caught clothing, shoe laces, and improper disembarking.
6. Investigation and Root Cause
A two-year investigation revealed the Rome escalator had been deliberately sabotaged: the main brake was set to 37% of manufacturer specification, the auxiliary brake had plastic straps tied around one of two wedges (cutting its stopping power by 50%), and error logging systems were reprogrammed to disable fault code recording, leaving no digital trace of failures.
7. Negligence and Criminality
Investigators discovered Metro Roma contractor and Transit Authority ATAC worked together to falsify maintenance records, disable safety devices, and cover tracks through fraud and obstruction. Eleven suspects were named; three ATAC managers and Metro Roma's chief were suspended. A recorded wiretap revealed manager Renato Domico's callous attitude toward potential escalator failures, treating them as mere statistical inevitabilities.
8. Engineering vs. Human Responsibility
Escalators are engineered with enormous safety margins, with components tested to handle forces far beyond operational loads. With 1.5 million escalators worldwide and over 100 billion trips annually in the US and Canada alone, catastrophic failures are vanishingly rare when properly maintained, proving that safety depends on human responsibility and maintenance, not engineering limitations.
Key People & Entities
- Jesse Reno
- Inventor of the first escalator, the Continuous Elevator, which debuted as an attraction at Coney Island in 1896
- George Wheeler
- Inventor whose dual-track system for escalator steps forms the basis of every modern escalator in use today
- Charles Seeberger
- Inventor who bought Wheeler's patent and partnered with Otis Elevator Company to commercialize the escalator, showcasing it at the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle
- Otis Elevator Company
- Company that partnered with Charles Seeberger to develop and commercialize the first true commercial escalator
- Renato Domico
- ATAC manager whose recorded wiretap conversation revealed callous indifference to escalator safety in Rome
- Metro Roma
- Maintenance contractor responsible for Rome's escalators; investigated for deliberate safety sabotage and falsified records
- Rome's Transit Authority ATAC
- Transit agency that worked with Metro Roma in negligent maintenance practices and falsification of safety records
Glossary
- Regenerative braking
- A system where excess mechanical energy from a moving load (passengers on a downward escalator) is converted into electrical current, allowing the motor to function as a generator and feed power back to the grid.
- AC induction motor
- An electric motor that operates using alternating current and creates a rotating magnetic field; used in modern escalators because it naturally resists speed changes through induced currents.
- Reduction gearbox
- A mechanical system that converts high-speed, low-torque motor output into low-speed, high-torque output needed to drive escalator steps.
- Step chain
- A reinforced steel chain fitted with wheels that runs around a loop and pulls escalator stairs, with steps attached via single axles allowing free rotation.
- Comb plate
- A safety feature at the top of an escalator that interlocks with grooved steps to prevent small objects and clothing from getting caught in the machinery.
- Skirt brush
- A safety feature added to escalators in 1982 that blocks side gaps where objects could be pinched and trapped as steps move.
- Auxiliary brake
- The final safety system on an escalator that drives steel wedges into a disc on the drive shaft to mechanically lock the mechanism during emergencies.
- Revolving stairs
- An early escalator design featuring a chain-driven loop with fixed stair-shaped blocks that created a flat surface but had dangerous tilting steps at the top and bottom.